


If You Leave Me Now

by itsnotaboutlove



Series: The Chef and The Historian [26]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anger, Arguing, Couple's Retreat, Crying, Divorce, F/M, Heavy Angst, Lots of Angst, Married Couple, Public Sex, Rough Sex, Shower Sex, Strained Relationships, lake house, mentions of adultrey, screaming matches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-23
Updated: 2016-07-17
Packaged: 2018-05-22 18:50:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 32,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6090667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsnotaboutlove/pseuds/itsnotaboutlove
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chris and Melanie's marriage is on the rocks. Can a two week retreat to the lake save it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Three days after the "incident" as Leonard liked to call it, the family and friends of Christopher and Melanie Pike held a meeting in secret. After two hours of deliberations, it was decided: two weeks at the lake house alone, to figure out what to do next. Leonard and Jim later snuck into the house, while Chris spent the day driving around aimlessly, while Melanie spent the day with Nyota and the kids. They packed two bags for Chris and Mel, along with bags for the kids, before hiding two in the hall closet downstairs

"I hope this works," Jim said, as they pack the car up with four suitcases. "Otherwise..." 

"Just gotta be positive and pray," Leonard sighed, as they both climbed into the car. "And they better fucking go, otherwise I'll drive them there myself and leave them stranded with no car." 

Later, as Chris and Melanie struggled to maintain a normal facade in front of the kids, Leonard returned to the house to break the news to them. 

"You're both going to the lake house, tomorrow morning," he said, as they stood in the kitchen. "Jim and I already packed up clothes and diapers for the kids, and I'm taking the cats tomorrow morning." 

"You what?" Melanie asked, as she sat at the table. "You can't just-" 

Leonard gave her a stern look, "Melanie Rose, you're going to the goddamn lake house tomorrow morning, for two fucking weeks," he said. "I don't care if you two spend the two weeks fightin' or not! Neither of you have spoken to one another since you came home and that's it!" 

Chris looked down at the floor, "Now, you've got ten years and four kids," Leonard continued. "You can't throw that all away for a misunderstanding and lack of communication." 

"It's not up to you what happens to us," Melanie reminded him. "This is between us." 

"And what a great job you're both doin', ignoring each other and sleeping in separate bedrooms," Leonard rolled his eyes. "Look, just go and figure out what you want to do. Because you can't just go on, not talkin'. You both need a break from being parents, working parents at that, and you need to ignite the flame again that once kept you two burnin' bright." 

The couple stood before him, defeated. 

"Okay," Chris nodded, looking up at him finally. 

"Fine," Melanie sighed. "I guess we'll go to the lake house." 

...................

The next morning, Leonard and Jim returned to pick up the kids and the cats. With the car already packed, Chris and Melanie spent the next fifteen minutes saying goodbye to their children, who were excited to spend two weeks of their summer with their Uncles. 

"Will you call us?" Charlotte asked, as Chris held her. "Every night?" 

"Maybe," Chris shrugged, as she pouted. "Of course we'll call you every night, Charlie." 

Pleased, she hugged him tightly, before placing a kiss on his cheek. "Make sure you wear sun cream!" she said, as he put her down. "And take lots of pictures!" 

Sophia and Olivia both stood with Melanie, who knelt on the lawn before them. "Uncle Jim's going to take you to your soccer practice," she said, as Sophia nodded. "And, they made sure to pack a good portion of your pigs." 

"Why can't we come?" Olivia whined, not too thrilled about being away from her parents for a long time. "Why are we staying away forever?" 

"It's not forever," Melanie said, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Before you know it, we'll be back home and you'll wish that you could stay with Uncle Bones and Uncle Jim for another day or two." 

CJ squealed as he rushed across the lawn towards Chris, letting out a shriek when he was pulled up into the air. "Hey Buddy!" Chris chuckled, as the boy giggled. "Are you gonna be good for your Uncles? Maybe you'll finally learn how to use the potty? You're getting too big for diapers you know." 

"Daddy and I will call you guys tonight," Melanie said, as Sophia nodded. "Be good for your Uncles and for Joanna, okay?" 

"You two should get going," Jim said, looking down at his watch. "Before you hit traffic!" 

They reluctantly nodded, giving their children more hugs and kisses, before Leonard and Jim strapped them into their booster seats. "Call us when you get there," Leonard said, as Chris reached in through the window to tickle CJ. "Try to be civil on the ride up there, alright? The last thing I want, is a phone call from a hospital, because you crashed the car while screaming at each other." 

The couple nodded, "Try not to load them up with too much sugar, "Melanie said, as Sophia waved at them. "And make sure you put sunscreen on them when you take Sophia to her practice." 

"Mellie, we've got it under control," Jim said, giving her a hug and kiss. "Now go! Make sure you spend these two weeks, talking and..." 

"Not killing each other?" Chris offered, to which Melanie rolled her eyes at. 

Leonard sighed, "More like falling in love with each other again," he said, which hit them both in the chest like a bullet. "And getting over your mid-life crisis bullshit, because it's honestly making everyone tired." 

Saying their goodbyes, Chris and Melanie walked to their packed car and got in, pulling out of the driveway slowly before driving past the Kirk-McCoy SUV. Honking twice, they both waved at the kids and Leonard and Jim, before driving to the end of the block. 

"Do you want to stop anywhere before we hit the highway?" Chris asked, the first question in four days to be directed to Melanie. 

"No," she shook her head, pulling her sun glasses on. "If you want me to drive halfway, let me know. I'm going to rest my eyes for a bit." 

Chris nodded, "Sure," he said, changing the radio station from Radio Disney to a blues station that he frequently listened to on the commute to work. 

..................

Stopping at a grocery store to stock up on food and necessities, they reached the lake house around a quarter to four, a half an hour later than originally planned. Making three trips to the car to grab shopping bags, packs of toilet and paper towels, and their suitcases, Chris shut the door behind them and locked it. By that point, Melanie had already gone through the kitchen and living room to open windows, letting in the cool breeze that came off the lake just outside the house. 

"I'm gonna put the food away," Chris said, as they met up in the kitchen. "If you want to go and pick which room you want, I'm fine with whatever." 

Melanie nodded, as she picked up her suitcase. "I think I'll stay down here," she said. "I'm gonna call Len and let him know we got here."

Chris watched as she headed down the hall to the room that Jim and Leonard shared the last time they came up, disappointed. With hopes to reconcile, after spending four nights alone in their marital bed at home, Chris had hoped that they would be sharing the room upstairs. 

Unloading the groceries, Chris put everything away in their rightful spots, before stepping outside on the porch. Every inch of the lake house was filled with so many memories; from endless mornings of eating breakfast outside with the kids to Olivia's innocent adventure with the fish she caught from the lake. But it also brought up the memory of the beginning deterioration of Scotty and Gaila's marriage, which led to their separation after a long stint in rehab. The once happy couple were barely speaking to one another, unless it was about the kids; a personal choice on Gaila's part, as she was still recovering and living with her parents. And Scotty, the hopeful one, gave into it, hoping it the space would give Gaila what she needed to heal and come back to him. 

 _"I don't ever want to end up like them,"_ Melanie said, after Scotty announced their separation; nearly a year ago. " _I couldn't survive on not being with you everyday and talking to you everyday. It would drive me crazy!"_

 _"Well, you're stuck with me until the day I die,"_ Chris said to her. " _And even then, I'll still drive you crazy, haunting the house. Even in death, you couldn't get rid of me."_

Now, a year later, they were on the path of uncertainty like their friends once were. 

.................

Showering in separate bedrooms, they met up again in the kitchen around a quarter to seven for dinner. A simple salad with grilled chicken breasts and wine. Not romantic, though Chris had to fight the urge to make a romantic dinner for two, but nice enough that Melanie even said "thank you," when she sat down at the table. 

They both ate in silence; the sound of cutlery clattering against the plates and the sound of wine sloshing into the glasses, made for background noise between them. 

"So, what do you want to do tomorrow?" Chris asked, breaking the tension. 

Melanie shrugged, "Should we... talk?" he asked, as she pulled her feet up onto the chair; the glass of wine in her hand. "Fight? Not talk? Do some kind of.. couple's retreat thing, where we do tasks that will lead to showing us how to communicate with one another." 

"We can talk," Melanie said. "We'll probably fight and retreat to our rooms, before coming out to fight again." 

Chris sighed, "What do you want me to say, Chris?" Melanie asked. "I'm being honest. You know we'll start off talking and it'll end up in a screaming match." 

"I don't want it to end up in a screaming match," he stressed, as she sighed. "God, I just want to fix this, Mel." 

"Maybe you can't fix it," she said, quietly; the comment breaking his heart. "Maybe some things are just un-fixable." 

He shook his head, "I'm not accepting that excuse," he said. "I am going to do whatever it takes to fix the mess I made." 

Melanie looked across the table at him, "Mellie, I don't want to spend two weeks fighting with you and making the worst decision of our lives," he said, defeated. "And I don't want to go home with this being unresolved or with a decision that neither of us really want." 

"Yeah, well..." Melanie shook her head. "It's kinda hard to look at you these days, Chris. Especially when you've accused me of being a whore and a neglectful mother." 

He closed his eyes, "You know what," Melanie said, standing up; the chair scratching against the floor. "I think I'm gonna go to bed." 

Before Chris could reply, Melanie had already walked away, disappearing down the hall to the bedroom. Defeated, Chris downed the rest of his wine and stood up to collect the plates, dropping them into the sink. Making sure the doors were locked and the lights were off, he went upstairs to the master bedroom and sat down heavily on the bed. Reaching for his phone on the nightstand, Chris unlocked it to see the smiling faces of his four children and his wife as his home screen. There were a few text messages from Leonard and Jim, reporting on how the kids were doing and asking if everything was going smoothly on their first night. 

Ignoring them, Chris opened up the photo app and started swiping through the photos that consumed most of the space on his phone. There were many of the girls; Charlotte being the reigning selfie-queen at just nine years old. Pictures of the twins and CJ, showcasing their everyday life and smiling wide for the camera; missing teeth and all. Then there were those of Melanie, many being old ones from when the kids were younger, that their friends had sent them

 _"Throwback Thursday!"_ Nyota texted him, as she sent a picture of a much younger Melanie and Chris on their wedding day.  _"Oh, and Happy Anniversary! Ten years! Neither of you have aged a day!"_

Despite being pregnant and battling crippling morning sickness, Melanie's smile lit up her entire face, as she smiled at him; it was a candid photo, taken in a moment that was between Melanie and Chris. Her, perched on his lap at the table, while Chris had his arms wrapped around her; his hand resting on her still flat belly. Their foreheads were touching and they were both smiling at each other, clearly happy about the new phase in their lives together; married with a baby on the way. There were many more "throwback" photos that came with the "Happy Anniversary" texts messages. More photos from their wedding, to pictures with the kids at different ages. One with the two of them each holding an infant in their arms, while Charlotte sat between them. Holidays, birthdays, get togethers. The three Pike girls, sitting on the sofa with Chris and Melanie, while a newborn CJ slept quietly in Melanie's arms; their first photo as a family of six. 

There were some.. risque photos in the mix; many of which Melanie took of herself and sent to him when he was away at work. The "the kids are at my brothers and this is what you're going to come home to," photos. Some, he took himself and he knew that Melanie had several risque photos of himself on her phone as well. Sure, they weren't twenty-something year olds anymore, but they were dead. A few dick pics and tit pics, between a married couple, wasn't a crime. Many sleepless nights on the rare chance that Chris went away for work, were spent with sending photos back and forth that left little to the imagination. 

But between all of that, there was a ten year marriage in those photos. Ten years of babies and happiness, that were all on the line with this two week trip. Sleeping in separate bedrooms and the reasons why they were at this point in their marriage, was the icing on the cake. 

Turning the phone off, Chris set it back on the night stand and laid back across the bed, staring up at the ceiling. 

Two weeks. 

Two weeks of bitter fighting. 

Two weeks of deciding if they were meant to be together forever. 

Two weeks was not enough time. 

Two weeks. 

"Fuck," Chris muttered, as closed his eyes. 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

Downstairs, Melanie was doing just the same; looking at photos on her phone, while trying to piece together when things turned sour. The happy faces that stared back at her, didn't show any signs of doubt; exhaustion maybe, since handling the everyday tasks as a working parent and four children, took its toll on a person. But photos didn't hold the answers to the problem, Melanie realized, as she set the phone down on the nightstand. Sliding under the cool sheets, she stared at the ceiling and felt the wheels turning in her head. 

Taking on a more active role back in March, Melanie was traveling to and from Seattle for conferences and workshops, spending either a long weekend or and entire week away from home. It was the first bite of freedom within her work, before both she and Chris were married, that took her out of an office and headfirst into communicating face to face with PhD candidates and other researchers in her field. 

What bothered her the most, was how Chris felt about her being away and working. He knew, from the moment they started dating, that her career was important to her; it had been her life for most of her twenties, having been able to break away from the fate her late mother had wanted. Work took the backseat when the kids came, until she started feeling more like a housewife than a mother of four with two PhD's under her belt. Sure, going to work meant that she had a few days to herself and to take a break from housework and driving this one here and that one there. But it didn't  _replace_ her role of being a mother, for the kids would always be her top priority as well as her marriage. 

 _He doesn't care anymore about your career,_ the nagging thought in the back of her mind said, as she laid there.  _He just wants you home with the kids, while he gets to go out and work. While he gets to have his career._

Rolling onto her side, Melanie felt her eyes water up and her chest constrict with the first set of sobs; a nightly routine that she'd fallen into since the day they fought. Sleeping alone wasn't easy nor was it her favorite thing to do. Sleeping alone  _and_ being angry, was even worse. 

 _Tomorrow, we'll talk,_ she told her self, as she buried her face into the pillow.  _Tomorrow, we'll start the reconstruction._

_............................._

The next morning, they called home to talk to the kids, after forgetting to do so the night before; Miss Charlotte was the first to point out the fact, as she whined into the phone about waiting up all night to hear from them. 

"I even missed my show!" she cried, as Sophia mimicked her in the background. "Now I won't know if the fairy prince saved the princess and her friend!" 

Apologizing profusely, Leonard all but wrenched the phone out of Charlotte's hand to pass it on to the next child; Sophia. She babbled a few minutes about the "poop attack" she had the night before, giggling as if it were the funniest thing in the world, before running off to play soccer with Uncle Jim and Monty. Olivia talked quietly, begging for them to come home. 

"Please, please, please?" she hiccuped, as she cried. "I wanna go homeeee!" 

"Honey, we'll be home soon," Melanie promised, as she wailed. "Maybe Uncle Bones can take you to the pet store to look at the puppies and the kitties! Or the shelter in town that has all the farm animals! Maybe they'll let you feed the baby piggies again!" 

It got the girl to stop crying, as she asked Leonard if they could go. "I wanna feed the piggies," they heard her say. "I'll stop crying if you take me to feed the piggies." 

"Your children are so goddamn bossy," Leonard grouched into the phone, after telling Olivia to get ready for the day. "Thank god CJ just plays with his toys or the cats, before coming to find one of us when he's ready to be bothered." 

Speaking for a few more minutes, he let them go so he could take Olivia to the shelter for the afternoon, signing off with a "play nice, kids," before the dial tone went off. Hanging up, Chris set his phone down and they both fell into silence again. 

"So," Melanie said, after a few seconds. "Talk?" 

"Sure," Chris nodded. "Let's go talk." 

They grabbed bottles of water from the fridge, they sat across from each other at the table, settling in for what they hoped to be the first step in reconciliation. 

"I guess I'll start first," Chris said, running his hand through his hair. "I'm sorry that I accused you of cheating and being a neglectful mother. I really am, Mel. You're not a neglectful mother and I should've addressed my thoughts in a different manner than how I did." 

Melanie nodded slowly, "So you don't think I'm a neglectful mother," she said. "But you still doubt my faithfulness." 

He sighed, "Mel..." 

"I'm not cheating on you," Melanie cut him off. "I've never cheated on you and I would never think to cheat on you ever. My physical appearance and the changes it has gone through, have not been for someone else. Hell, when did it become a crime for a woman to start taking care of her appearance before? I didn't do this for you or for another man, Chris. I lost weight, cut and colored my hair and bought different clothes for  _me._ Because like you, I'm struggling entering the next stage of my life. Not because I want to sleep with other people! I couldn't even imagine having sex with someone who isn't you to begin with and I don't want to!" 

"I was too quick to jump to conclusions," Chris admitted. "I'm sorry. But I just worry that while you fight to look younger, you'll get tired of being with someone who's getting older. Who doesn't have the energy or desire to try and look younger." 

"Chris, we're _both_ getting older," Melanie stressed. "Both of us. We've gone over this over and over again, ever since we got married. Yes, I knew that when we started our relationship, that you were twenty years older than me. But did that stop me from marrying you and having children with you? No, it didn't. Do I worry about the future and what's going to happen when either one of us dies while our children are still relatively young? Of course I fucking do. Everyday. How can I not worry about that? Thirteen years have gone by so quickly and the fact that Charlie's going to be ten this year is scary as hell. But am I that scared, that I would go and do something that would tear us apart? Absolutely not." 

Melanie swiped at her eyes, "I can't help but go to that place," he admitted. "Before you, it was ten years of sitting around and not trusting women. Coming from a marriage that ended in divorce because of adultery.." 

"I'm NOT Rebecca," she quickly shouted. "I get it now, that you worry about being cheated on again. Yes, that woman hurt you and she did so by screwing around with your best friend. But do not compare me to her. I am not Rebecca. If I were anything like Rebecca, you wouldn't have married me and you know it. "

He couldn't speak, because he knew she was right. Rebecca was a whole different kind of woman compared to Melanie, sharing nothing in common. But letting go of the past, the pain that came with knowing that your wife was cheating on you (not knowing that it was with someone considered as a best friend) and wanted out, was hard. But in the thirteen years that Melanie and Chris had together, it wasn't until only recently that his worries about adultery came creeping into the back of his mind. 

"Maybe you're accusing me of adultery because you feel guilty about something," Melanie shrugged. "I mean, why should it be me that's cheating? What about you? Maybe you're fulfilling the professor and student sex role." 

"No, Melanie," Chris shook his head. 

"Well, how should I know?" she asked, holding her hands up. "You're so quick to assume that I'm fucking around, but what about you?" 

"You can ask anyone that I work with and they'll tell you," Chris said. "My door is always open and I remain a professional relationship with all my students." 

Melanie sighed, "Then you can confirm with M'Benga on my whereabouts when I'm away," she shot back. "Unless you think I'm fucking him too. Because you know, I must have this powerful sexual pull that even gay men are wanting to line up to fuck me."

Chris could hear the anger in her tone, and knew it was about to get ugly again. "Okay, you've made your point," he hit back.

"Oh, I've made my point," she laughed. "So, now we get to move onto something else to argue about and then we'll make up  only to go back to this in six months."

"Jesus Christ," Chris shook his head. "You can never just say "okay, let's move on to something else," can you? You just have to get the last fucking word in, EVERY TIME! What I meant was, let's talk about another issue we have and we can come back to this particular topic either tomorrow or another day."

Melanie rolled her eyes, "I don't know if we'll ever be able to move past your doubts in our marriage and sex life," she said. "If you're going to keep comparing me to your ex-wife, this is going to be a big problem. It's going to break us and you know it."

"Then we need to stop it know, before it gets to that point," Chris stressed. "Melanie, I swear to you that I want to come out of this, still married to you and starting a new chapter of our marriage. I want to leave here with the two of us on the same path. And I don't expect everything to go back to normal..."

"It's won't" Melanie stated.

Chris nodded, "I'll do whatever it takes to make this right," he promised. "But I don't want to leave here, knowing that a divorce is our last and only option."

....................

"You know why I stopped giving into your advances when it came to sex?" 

After taking a long break from their first talk of the day, the couple found their way back downstairs; this time, they laid out on the floor of the living room with a bottle of wine between the two. 

"Why?" Chris asked, resting his hand across his chest. 

"It just felt like another chore," Melanie said. "After coming home or being with the kids all day, doing housework? Sex just felt like another chore I had to mark off my list." 

Chris winced, "Ouch," he shook his head. 

She sighed, "I'm sorry, but it's true," she replied. "I just haven't been into it or wanting it as badly as you do. Sure, there were nights when I just gave in, because I didn't want to hear you complain anymore." 

"So why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I didn't want to hurt your feelings," Melanie said quietly. "Remember when we would have sex and it went on for hours? Just when I thought you were done and ready for bed, you were up and ready to go again. Now, it's just a wham, bam and thank you ma'am kinda thing. There were too many nights where you got off in minutes, while there was barely any build up to a release for me. So while you fell asleep, I'd just lay there in the wet spot, feeling used." 

He turned to look at her, "How did this happen to us?" he asked. 

Melanie shrugged, "I don't know," she admitted. "Maybe the passion is still there, somewhere. But it hasn't made an appearance in so long, Chris." 

"Maybe we need to try something different," Chris suggested. "Though, I don't know how different we could get. I never thought I'd be at a point in my life, where the way I have sex with a woman wouldn't be just as good for them as it is for me." 

"Communication would be nice," Melanie said. "And maybe taking notice when your wife is too tired to entertain your carnal needs, after being up and running all day." 

Chris bit his tongue on the remark he wanted to shoot off, since they were having an open and honest conversation at the moment. "You wanna start now or later?" he asked instead. 

She made a noise, a mix between a sigh and a scoff. "Maybe after we talk a little more," she finally said. "Neither of us are in the right mind frame at the moment to have sex. And the last thing I want to do, is partake in angry make-up sex. Fucking each other won't resolve anything and it'll only make things worse." 

"Can I at least hold your hand?" Chris asked, respecting her wishes. 

"Holding hands is fine," Melanie said, moving her arm out; her hand facing palm up. "Holding hands we can do." 

Taking her hand into his, their fingers laced together loosely, in a relaxed manner. Chris gently rubbed his thumb along the lower half of her palm, down to her wrist; her wedding band a cold shock against his fingers. There was a flood of relief that filled him, whenever he saw the glittering diamond and silver band on her finger. While they were both in this limbo of uncertainty, she still loved him enough to wear her rings. If it was to keep the questions at bay, trying to maintain a happy image to those who didn't know the truth, Chris refused to believe it. 

Sometime between the millions of thoughts that ran through his tired head, he fell asleep from the exhaustion and the half of bottle of wine they consumed. When he woke up, the sun was setting over the room was drenched in a blue hue as the evening sky filled with stars came out. Next to him, Melanie lay curled up on her side, sound asleep. 

Her hand was still in his, Chris noticed. And she was holding onto his hand tightly. 

As if she was afraid to let go. 

To be left behind. 

 


	3. Chapter 3

By the third day, they were both exhausted, as they spent the first two days talking and fighting. It was all they did, from the moment they woke up to when they went to bed at night; venting and letting out everything that had been bottled up inside. 

Finally, on the third morning of their "trip", Chris wanted to put a plan into place. Waking up earlier than normal, he made breakfast and a pot of fresh coffee, setting the table with plates and cups. When Melanie finally rolled out of bed, stumbling into the kitchen, she was surprised to see the table set with food and fresh hot coffee waiting. 

"You woke up early?" she asked, surprised. 

"Figured you'd want fresh coffee and hot food," he shrugged, as if it were no big deal. "I made a little bit of everything." 

She smiled to herself, touched at the thought, as she accepted a hot cup of coffee from him. "Hazelnut," she said, after taking a sip. "You hate hazelnut." 

Chris shrugged, "It's not too bad," he said. "If you add the right amount of creamer, it balances out the taste." 

They took their seats at the table and dug in, eating in silence for the first fifteen minutes; both needed to wake up a bit more, as they drank their coffees and relaxed. "So," Chris said, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "I had an idea and I wanted to see what you thought about it." 

"Okay," Melanie nodded. 

"Since we're here to re-connect and work through the issues we have with one another," he started, choosing his words carefully. "I was thinking that maybe we could do little things here and there." 

She frowned, "little things like what?" she asked. 

"Well, we could go on mini-dates," Chris shrugged. "I mean, we don't have to go into town if you don't want to. I could always cook dinner and come to your door to "pick you up". Wear nice clothes and maybe go for a walk down by the lake. Do things around the house and outside." 

"Could I plan a date?" Melanie asked. "I mean, with you cooking dinner, that suggests that you've planned that particular date. How about turning these dates into things that we like to do, but we never do them together?" 

Chris nodded, "We could do that!"he said, liking that idea. "Maybe it's something we should do more of, you know. Something that isn't being done, because it's a special event or with the kids. We can get to know each other again, Mel, before it was marriage and children." 

Melanie nodded, "But let's take it slow, yeah?" she asked. "I don't want to rush these.. "mini-dates" and tumble into bed, because we can't help ourselves. I want to make sure that if we do this, that we're doing it for the right reasons. That we're actually working hard to get through this and come to terms with how we feel,and if we can work through this bump in the road, to create a stronger marriage." 

"Deal," he nodded. 

"Alright," Melanie nodded, bringing her cup to her mouth, hiding a shy smile into the rim. "Deal." 

................................

After breakfast, Melanie quickly got dressed and took the keys. "I'm going out and I will be back in a half hour," she said, when Chris gave her a confused look. 

"O..kay," he nodded, as he set the clean dishes into the rightful spots. 

"Hey," Melanie said, catching his attention again. "I'm coming back." 

He nodded, "I know," he said, even though he was cautious. "Just... be careful, Mel. Too many drunken college kids out partying all night and driving home hungover." 

She gave him a small smile, "I will," she promised. "If the kids call, tell them I'll call back before lunch. I wanna catch them before they go down for naps.'   
  
Once she left, it took Chris ten seconds, before he went outside to escape the silence in the house. It was hot and the water looked inviting, though Chris had no desire to go in. The idea of even stepping off the porch, seemed to be too much work, as he opened the umbrella that sat in the middle of the table. By the time he sat down at the table, his shirt was damp with sweat. Spending another few minutes outside, Chris went back in when it became too much, heading upstairs to shower. When he re-dressed, he headed back downstairs, just as Melanie came in through the front door; juggling bags and her purse. 

"That was quick," he noted, moving to help her. "Where did you go?" 

"I," she started, setting the bags down on the kitchen counter. "Got us things for the date I want to go on."

Chris peeked into the bag and frowned, "Art things," he said. "I'm not really good at art." 

She shrugged, "Neither am I, which makes me wonder how Charlotte got her talents," she said. "But, it doesn't matter. We could make a total mess and it'll still be fun!" 

Seeing the hopeful look on her face, along with the excitement, reminded him of Charlotte. They were both so much alike in personality and looks, that it made his heart clench. So if making a mess that consisted of paints, puffy balls in various colors and what looked like glitter, was something she wanted to do, then so be it. 

"You wanna start now or later?" Chris asked, as she took everything out of the bags. 

"Well," Melanie started, wringing her hands together. "I wanted to ask you something first." 

Chris nodded, "Sure," he said, as she squirmed before him. "Mel, whatever you want to ask me.. just ask me." 

Melanie nodded, "Chris," she started, licking her lips with nervousness. "Would you like to go on a date with me?" 

............................

The kitchen table was a mess, by the time they were done, as well as the floor. Glitter, pom poms and bits of pipe cleaners, littered the floor. Paint in various colors had been smeared across the table top, along with more glitter. 

"What the hell did we make?" Chris asked, as Melanie giggled. "I don't even have a name for this." 

"I don't know," she shrugged, as they picked up the wet pieces of paper. "Either way, it was fun." 

Carrying their artwork outside, they laid the pieces of paper on the railing of the patio, in direct sight with the hot summer sun. With their hands covered in drying paint and glitter, they tried their best to keep them off their clothes, as the looked at their work. 

"We should do this more often," Chris finally said, nodding. 

"What? Fight more?" Melanie asked, wincing at how quickly the words came out of her mouth. "Sorry." 

He shrugged, "We should do more stuff like this," he pointed to their artwork. "Couple-y things, you know? Like got to those paint night things that Jim's always talking about. Or that ceramic place Charlie and Julie went to for that girl's birthday." 

Melanie hugged her waist, as she wrapped her arms around herself. "What about a knitting club?" 

"Do you know how to knit?" Chris frowned, as she shook her head. "I mean, I guess we could try knitting... though, I don't know if my big hands could manage that delicate work. It would be good to fight the impending arthritis though..." 

"I was kidding," Melanie said, fighting the smile that wanted to appear so bad. "Though, I've knitted before. I almost made you a scarf for Christmas, the year after Charlie was born." 

This was a surprise to Chris, "Really?" he asked, as she nodded. "What happened? Did you finish it on time?" 

Melanie shook her her head, "I didn't even start it," she admitted. "I bought all the yarn- this really pretty caramel and white blend and a charcoal grey solid- the knitting needle and the book with all the patterns to follow. But then, I got home and sat down to do it and..." 

"What?" Chris asked, as she struggled to finish her sentence. 

"I thought, "Oh god, he's going to open this box with this potentially ugly scarf and laugh his ass off," and I put everything in the closet and forgot about it," she shrugged. "I didn't think you'd even like a homemade gift from me, a piss-poor attempt at a homemade gift that is." 

"I would've worn a homemade sweater, three sizes too small and in hot pink, if it were made by you," Chris said, seeing that the memory was making her upset. 

Sniffling harshly, Melanie stood up straighter and but on a brave face. "I'm going to go clean up inside," she said, moving to the back door quickly. "Could you put a rock or something on those, that way they don't fly off and land in the lake?" 

He nodded, watching as she went back int the house, the screen door closing behind her with a soft click. Part of him wanted to follow her, to pull her into his arms and comfort her; to wipe away all her fears and disappointments, to kiss her until she was gasping for breath afterwards. But knowing that they were taking it slow and getting to know one another again, after years of being just "Mommy and Daddy," for ten solid years. Doing what Melanie had asked, Chris found two decent sized rocks and placed them on the edges of the papers, anchoring them down.

"Dammit!" Melanie cursed from inside, as the sound of the broom clattering to the floor rang out.

Moving to the door, Chris pulled it open and found her struggling with the broom and the dust pan; a small pile of glitter on the floor in front of her. Stepping forward, Chris took the broom from her, earning a look of relief and thanks from Melanie.

There, in the remains of their therapeutic release in the form of creativity, they cleaned the kitchen together; not a single argument or sarcastic comment made from either of them, as they swept the floors, wiped the tables down and packed away the remaining art supplies. 

It was the first of many victories. 

 


	4. Chapter 4

"Can I ask you a question?" 

They were lying on the living room floor again, another bottle of wine between them. It was day four and they had spent the morning outside, fishing; it ended up being more of Melanie yelling at the fish in the water (just like Olivia did two summers ago), while Chris helped her reel in the line over and over again. 

"Sure," Melanie responded, stretching her legs out. 

"Remember when you made that comment about getting pregnant was keeping you from going back to work?" he asked. 

She nodded, "Do... do you regret having more than one child?" he asked, the question painful to even ask. 

Melanie rolled onto her stomach, "I don't regret having the girls and CJ,' she said. "I just wish CJ came earlier than he did. I mean, we had Olivia and Sophia when Charlie was two. Part of me wishes that CJ came a year or two after them." 

"Why?" Chris asked, rolling onto his side. 

"Well," she sighed. "By the time he was born, Sophie and Liv were going into pre-school. Before we decided to home-school Olivia, I was considering the idea of going back to work. Whether it was back at the office or teaching at the community college or Seattle University. But I knew, when I was pregnant with him, that I wouldn't be going to work after he was born."

Chris nodded, "But no," Melanie continued. "I don't regret them at all. And I don't regret having them with you, Chris. I couldn't imagine having them with anyone else, besides you. They wouldn't be the children that they are today, if someone else was their father."

"I just kept replaying everything you said that day, "Chris shook his had. "It sounded like you hated that I got you pregnant and that I was holding you back. That the kids were holding you back from working."

"It wasn't holding me back, per say," Melanie sighed. "It was just.. delaying the opportunity to go back to work."

"I wish you told me how badly you wanted to work," Chris said. "We could've done something about it, instead of struggling with the concept of you coming and going so often. I could've taken a sabbatical for a year or held lecture once a week. That way I could've been home more, so that you could work."

Moving to sit on the floor, Melanie shrugged. "I didn't want you to feel like you were sacrificing your life anymore than you'd already did," she mumbled. "I mean, I made you leave New York and the Kobayashi, because I wasn't happy anymore there. You were working like a slave, while I sat home doing nothing really. Then everything with Rebecca... it forced you to take a semester off and I didn't want to be the reason why you got in trouble at work. I didn't want you to feel that I was forcing you to make a choice."

Chris laid his hand on her knee, "Mel, we made some of those choices together," he reminded her. "And I wanted to take that semester off to be home with you and the girls. There was no way in hell, that I was going to work all those days and leave you home with everything to do while pregnant. And everything with Rebecca going on, I didn't want to be so far away and  something happened to you and the kids..."

 Melanie nodded, "So, what do you want to do when we go home about work?" he asked. "Do you want to go to conferences? Because if that's what you want to do, then do it. But I just want you to talk to me before you sign up to go to them. That one morning when you were running out the door with the suitcase... I just kept picturing what would've happened, had I not been awake. What if you got on a plane and it crashed? And what if I didn't even know you were on it, because you didn't tell me that you were going away? You can't do things like that Mel. We have to talk about these things, that way we know who's going where and for how long." 

"I'm sorry I did that to you," Melanie said. "And I hate that I made you worry. But I just felt that had I not said "yes" to going, I wouldn't be asked to go to them anymore." 

"Then we need to figure out how we're going to make these things work," he said. "I'm not trying to hold you back in your career, Mel. If you want to work and broaden your horizons in your field, then I want you to do that. But I don't want you to forget what's at home, waiting for you." 

They both stared at each other for a moment, before Chris spoke again. "What do you guys even  _do_ at a history conference?" he asked, frowning. "Do you like...sit in a room with your laptops and fix all the ridiculous wikipedia edits? You know, the one's that Jim, Hikaru and Pavel make when they've had too much to drink." 

Melanie snorted, "I wish," she shook her head. "But no. Usually we go to different universities or publishing offices, to review books or hear PhD candidates read their papers. Or we meet with well-known researchers in our fields and discuss new information that's discovered about particular historical events, people.." 

"Oh," he nodded. 

"Yeah, it can get kinda exhausting," Melanie admitted. "Recently, I've been meeting with PhD candidates in both of my fields. They've specifically called M'Benga and requested to meet me, so that I could read their thesis papers and research. Or even talk to me in person to pick at my brain, so that when they do write their papers, it's with accurate information." 

"Wow," Chris gasped. "So you're like.. a sponsor?" 

She nodded, "I'm currently helping this young woman with her thesis paper on current condition and deterioration of the _Titanic_ wreck, compared to how it was about... fifteen years ago," she shrugged. "I mean, now the wreck is most likely to collapse by next year, if the bacteria continues to eat away at it at the rate it's going..." 

"You're so smart," Chris said, almost breathlessly, shaking his head in amazement.

"Oh stop," Melanie said, blushing. "It's nothing extraordinary..." 

But Chris shook his head, "No, it is," he insisted. "I mean if you asked me to write a paper about that ship, I could probably on list the basics and maybe mention the movie..." 

She giggled, "But something so unique like... ship eating bacteria and the rate of decay?" he shook his head. "I would've never thought of that as a topic. And the fact that people across the country and around the world, know your name and your research? I am so amazed by what you've done with your education and your work. I don't want you to hold back on it, Mel. You're so good with teaching." 

"Sometimes, it's nice being wanted for something other than carpooling and wiping runny noses," she said quietly. "I know I'm "Mommy," but there's more to me than that. I love being a mom, but I also love being an educator. A researcher." 

Chris saw the torn look on her face, the internal debate that had consumed her for so long. "We just need to be more open about what we want," he said. "In in our marriage, in parenting and in our careers." 

"Are there things you want?" she asked. "Things that you've had to put on the back burner, because of the kids?" 

He shrugged, "Well, I've wanted to broaden out and learn how to cook foreign cuisine," he said. "Maybe learn how to make a really good apple pie..." 

Melanie shook her head, smiling. "I mean, sure.. I wish I did a little more in my career, but it is what it is," he finally said. "Being a chef doesn't have all those career opportunities, like you have in your field. I could've stayed in a trendy restaurant like Yorktown or Kobayashi. Or, I could've been like Gordon Ramsey and became a celebrity chef. And I don't know about you, but I don't think I could deal with everyone knowing my name." 

"I don't know if I'd like our children being in the public eye," Melanie said, scrunching up her nose in distaste. "You could've gone into catering." 

"Oh god, no," Chris shuddered. "No, I'm good with teaching the future chefs of the world, thank you. If there's anyone that can get Guy Fieri off the Food Network, I pray that it's one of my students." 

They both laughed, "But really, that's all you've wanted to do?" Melanie asked, when they sobered up. "Expand in your specialty? What about outside of work?" 

He shrugged, "Maybe go to the beach more often," he said. "Get back into surfing and maybe teach the kids how to surf? Or traveling more with you or as a family, you know? There are places I've always wanted to go to and I wish we did more traveling before we got married. And I want to take the kids places outside of Washington. Take a trip to Georgia to see where you and Leonard grew up and to California to see all the places I've been to." 

"We haven't done much traveling since Disney," Melanie pointed out. "Well, we went to California, but that wasn't really a vacation. And the lake house doesn't count, because it's still Washington." 

"Maybe for Christmas, we could go down to see your Dad," he shrugged. "Maybe if Mom's up to it, we could fly out to her first and then drive out to where David is." 

Melanie nodded, "Daddy would love that," she said. "And, as much as I love spending the holidays with my brother and our friends, maybe we need that one Christmas without them. We spend so much time with everyone, that we don't get to do things that are just us and the kids. It's not that I want to push them away, but we need to learn how to do things without everyone around." 

He nodded, "I agree," he said. "I love their company, but there are times that I don't want to entertain anyone other than the kids." 

"God," Melanie sighed. "I feel like we need to write all this down and sign it. Like a contract or a new law."  
  
"No," Chris snorted. "We just need to practice what we preach. If we want this to work, we need to talk it out and follow through with it."

Melanie nodded, as she picked up the bottle of wine. "Well, let's get to compromisin'," she said, taking a sip. "Because I have a feeling it's gonna take more than two weeks, so we better get started now."

....................

Their third date happened on day six, and it was dinner outside, thanks to the new bug zapper and the loads of citronella candles that lined the railings and the table. Along with a can of bug spray and blankets, they were both sticky and smelly, as they ate. Afterwards, once the empty plates were moved inside, Chris put some music on.

"Care to dance?" he asked, holding his hand out. 

Melanie nodded, blushing and smiling shyly, as she took his hand. Pulling her out of the chair, he led her to the far end of the porch and wrapped his arm around her waist; her hand in his, as they swayed slowly to the music playing from the Ipod dock. The light cotton summer dress, swished against Melanie's knees as she moved; it fluttered about, when Chris spun her slowly, before pulling her back into his embrace. 

Resting her head against his shoulder, their joined hands rested between each other; her ear rested just in the right spot, that she could hear his heart beating. Feeling more relaxed in that moment, compared the last few days, Melanie sighed deeply and closed her eyes. She could feel his hand rubbing her back slowly, enough to make her melt. Suddenly, she pulled her hand out of his, startling him. But instead of pushing away, Melanie wrapped both her arms around his waist and held onto him tightly. 

"Mel?" Chris asked, as she sniffled. "Mellie, what's wrong?" 

Unable to find her voice, a strangled sob left her mouth instead, as she started to cry. Startled, Chris wrapped both his arms around her tightly and he held her. 

"It's okay," he said softly, as she sobbed. "It's okay, it's okay." 

Pressing his lips against her hairline and rubbing her back, Chris rocked her slowly from side to side. After a few minutes, when she showed no sign of stopping, Chris reached behind him and turned the music off and took the Ipod off the dock. 

"Come on," he said, scooping her up into his arms. "Let's go inside and sit down, okay?" 

She nodded quickly, wrapping her arms around his neck, hiding her face over his shoulder. Pulling the screen door open, Chris stepped into the house and carried her into the living room, setting her down on the sofa. As soon as he sat down, Melanie was sitting on his lap, with her wet face pressed into the shoulder of his shirt. Grabbing the throw blanket off the back of the couch, Chris draped it around her shoulders and shifted her so that she was in a more comfortable position. 

They didn't speak for a while, as she cried and cried, as if she were a little kid again. 

And later, Melanie would be grateful for the fact that Chris didn't push her to talk at that moment.

It was a release. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short-ish post. Thank god tomorrow is Friday! I got all weekend to update with longer posts! 
> 
> This story won't be super long. Maybe 10-15 chapters. Not exactly sure yet.


	5. Chapter 5

A rumble of thunder and the sound of rain pelting the windows, woke Chris from a deep slumber. The room was lit in a blueish-grey haze, as a new day slowly made itself known. Blinking a few times, Chris felt the uncomfortable numbness on his left arm along with the heavy weight of a body against him. Turning his head, he found Melanie curled up against his side, shivering in her sleep. 

"Mellie?" he whispered, shaking her lightly. "Mellie." 

She groaned, opening her eyes slowly, "Wha?" she mumbled, as Chris moved his arm from underneath her head. 

"We fell asleep," he said, as another crack of thunder went off, along with a flash of lightning. 

Melanie yawned, "Kay," she sighed, laying her head back down. 

"We should move," Chris said. "Before we wake up later with sore backs and necks." 

She groaned again, "You'll thank me later," Chris insisted. "Do you want me to take you back to your room?" 

"Come with me," Melanie shivered, tucking her arms between their bodies. "Cold." 

"Okay," Chris said, as he got up from the couch; moving over her, as he stood up slowly, stretching his stiff muscles. "Come on." 

Helping her up, Chris walked her out of the living room and down the hall to the room she had been sleeping in. Once inside, Melanie pulled the dress up and over her head, dropping it to the floor near the closet. Grabbing a shirt off the edge of the bed, Chris handed it to her and watched as she pulled it on. As Melanie climbed under the blankets, Chris stripped out of his pants, leaving on his shirt, and climbed in next to her. Still shivering, Chris made sure that Melanie was underneath the top sheet, the thin fleece blanket and comforter. 

"Good?" he asked, as she pulled all three blankets to her chin, nodding slowly. "Okay, just let me know if you need me to turn the heat up. Or lower the AC." 

Laying down on his back, Chris pulled he blankets up to his waist, and yawned. Outside, the storm raged on, showing no signs of giving up anytime soon. Glancing at the clock on the cable box, Chris saw that it was only a quarter to six. With the blinds down and the curtains drawn halfway, the room was darker than the living room, making it feel that it was later. He had hoped that the storm was nowhere near their town, knowing how the kids got when thunderstorms barreled through. While Charlotte stayed in her own bed, along with Sophia, it was Olivia and CJ that came rushing into their parent's bedroom. Neither could take the thunder, which sometimes shook the house down to its foundation, or the lightning that lit up their rooms. And with CJ in his "big boy bed," he was a frequent visitor in their bedroom, from finding his way between his parents or waking one of them up for trivial things. Olivia kept her visits to a minimum, only arriving when it was a stormy night, a rare accident involving bed wetting or when her chest was hurting; her asthma that she never grew out of, as she got older, came at various points throughout the year. Or when she was overactive with her brother and sisters. 

Hearing the rustling of sheets, Chris didn't think much of it, until Melanie's head found her way against his chest; her arm sandwiched between them. Still shivering, Melanie burrowed against him and under the blankets, her eyes squeezed shut. Wrapping his arms around her, Chris held her tightly, rubbing her back slowly to ease her into an easy slumber. As she slowly, but surely, fell back asleep, Chris felt his eyelids droop with exhaustion. Still shivering, but not as bad as before, Melanie slept peacefully at his side. 

....................

They spent the day napping on and off, as the storm continued to rage outside. With a phone call from Leonard, they spoke to the kids and learned that it was sunny and hot by them, but that they had a chance of rain. 

"Just put them in front of the television and make it loud," Chris warned, as the thunder rumbled outside. "CJ and Liv will throw a fit if they don't have something buffering the sound. And if you still have that sleep machine that Noah needed, put that in their room tonight. Otherwise, you'll have two more bed partners with you and Jim." 

Saying their goodbyes and promising to call later, Chris set the phone back on the night stand and rolled onto his side; the blankets were pulled up to his shoulder. Next to him, Melanie was just the same, only she had changed into a sweatshirt, sweatpants and socks. 

"Why are you so cold still?" Chris asked, reaching out to feel her forehead. "You don't have a fever and I lowered the AC..." 

"Sometimes, I just get really cold," she shrugged. "Doesn't matter if you turn the AC down or the heat up. I get the chills and sometimes it'll last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours..." 

Chris frowned, "I don't like the sound of that," he said, shaking his head. "There could be so many reasons why this is happening." 

She nodded, "I know," she yawned. "I had to force myself to not look it up online. I would've diagnosed myself with some kind of cancer and then stressed myself out about it for weeks." 

"Should we go to the hospital?" he asked, frighten at the thought. "I mean, do you feel like it's unbearable?" 

"No," Melanie shook her head. "It doesn't hurt or anything, Chris. Maybe because the house is so drafty and with the storm outside, the wind's just too much today." 

He gave her a skeptical look, "I'm  _fine,"_ Melanie insisted. "I've noticed that these.. cold spells tend to happen before or after I'm sick. So chances are, I'm probably coming down with a summer cold."   
  
"Have you been taking your vitamins?" Chris asked. 

"Yes." 

"Have you been washing your hands after..." 

" _Chris."_

He sighed, "Sorry," he huffed. "But I worry, okay? I can't help it." 

Melanie's face softened and she reached out, laying her hand upon his, giving it a firm squeeze. "I know," she said. "If you want, I'll go get checked out when we go home. But chances are, it's nothing serious and just another symptom of getting older. Hell, maybe it's menopause." 

"God, I hope not," he shuddered. "There's a whole lot of stuff that neither of us are prepared for, if you're going through menopause." 

"It won't be as bad for you, as it will for me," Melanie pointed out. "Hot flashes, vaginal dryness and painful intercourse? Those are just some of the many, awful symptoms I might experience between now and my fifties. Or if I'm cursed for such torture, it could last until i'm in my sixties!" 

Chris shook his head, "I wish I asked my Dad for advice on that," he said. "I went to him for everything else, but I never thought to ask him about how he dealt with Mom going through menopause." 

Melanie gave him a small smile, "You went to your dad for advice?" she asked, as he nodded. "Advice on what?" 

"Well, everything," Chris shrugged. "When we found out about Charlie, I called him and asked him if he thought I could do the parenting thing. I mean, there I was, almost fifty and we were having a baby. I was going to be a first time dad and I was older than most first-time dads. I was scared out of my fucking mind." 

"What did he tell you?" 

"To suck it up and take whatever life threw at me," Chris snorted. "That if my child was anything like me, I would understand exactly what I put both him and mom through when I was growing up." 

Melanie giggled, "He also said that I would be fine. That we would both be fine, raising a child," he continued. "It would be hard, which it has been, but in the end we would both manage and find our own way in raising our children." 

"Wise words, from a wise man," Melanie said, feeling the sudden loss of her father-in-law. 

Chris nodded, "That he was," he said quietly. "He always knew what to say, whenever anyone was worried or doubtful. When you got pregnant with the girls and CJ, when we bought the house, fought.. anything and everything. Sounds ridiculous, but I just needed that second opinion from someone who managed to stay married to the same woman for all those years. By the time our third anniversary passed, we had three kids and I was panicking." 

"Why?" Melanie frowned. 

"Because after three years in my first marriage, I was getting divorced," Chris said. "Suddenly, here I was married and a father to three kids, and all I could think about was: "Oh god, is this when it starts to go south?" and everyday for a year, I walked around with such anxiety and feeling as if the shoe was going to drop." 

"Why didn't you say anything to me?" Melanie asked, frowning. 

He sighed, "Because you had just given birth to two babies and we were struggling with getting through each day," he said. "We had a hyperactive toddler, two colicky babies, and we were trying to settle as suburban parents. We had a house to put together and routines to put into place, especially with Charlie and two newborns. To put that extra baggage on the list? I was almost afraid that by telling you how I felt, would be the final straw. And I didn't want my fears and insecurities be the reason why I turned a happy, but stressful time, into an unhappy one. I didn't want my issues to be the reason why our marriage failed so soon after a happy moment." 

"I can understand why you didn't say anything to me," Melanie said, sighing. "But I wish you did. I had moments too, wondering if all the chaos was going to kill us. The first six months alone, were tough. The bickering, the routines we would put down and then alter? And then the twins had colic and Charlie was constantly wetting the bed and throwing tantrums all day long..." 

"Why is it so hard for us to speak what's on our minds?" Chris asked. "I mean, we talk about a lot of things. Things that are heavy and things that bother us... but we neglect to talk about so much more." 

Melanie shifted her head against the pillow and sighed, "Because it's just easier to avoid the blow ups," she sighed. "If it keeps us from getting into a screaming match, then we just keep it to ourselves. Though, this time around? You didn't."

"Neither of us did," Chris corrected her. "We were both angry and tired, Mel. I think this was our big fight, the one that every couple is bound to have at some point in their marriage." 

"Except we have two weeks to decide, if we should stay married or not," she scoffed. "As if two weeks is enough time to determine what to do with ten years of marriage." 

Chris reached out and took her hand into his. "We don't have to make a choice between now and when we leave," he reminded her. " _I_ don't want to make a final decision with a two week deadline. This isn't something you can work through in two weeks." 

"I don't want to get divorced," Melanie whispered. 

"Well, that's good," Chris said, relieved. "I don't want a divorce either." 

She groaned, "Then what are we going to do?" she asked, overwhelmed. "We have to figure out something, Chris. We can't just go on from this, pretending this fight never happened. You can't keep comparing and using Rebecca, as a reason why you don't trust me." 

"I'm not the only one that has faults here, Melanie," Chris shot back. "You can't put the blame all on me, for us being up here!" 

Scoffing, Melanie rolled over to look at the window, so that she couldn't say something she would later regret. Biting her tongue, she fought the urge to say something nasty to him, when she heard him curse silently under his breath. The mattress shook and the sheets rustled, as Chris moved closer to her, wrapping his arm around her waist. 

"I'm sorry," he said, giving her waist a squeeze. "I'm sorry." 

"I'm sorry, too," she replied, laying her hand on his.

Together, as the storm raged on outside, they both fell into a restless slumber. 


	6. Chapter 6

"Sophie, you need to be more careful," Melanie said, as the phone rested against her shoulder. "When I come home, I'm going to talk to your coach and see what we can come up with. Too many accidents are happening to you these days." 

"But Mooooooommmmmyyy!" Sophia whined into her. "I'm safes! The doctor gave me  _four_ stickers instead of one." 

Melanie sighed, as she washed the dishes by hand, while Sophia chatted on and on in her ear. Chris made his way into the kitchen, after waiting for the grill to start up. "Who's on the phone?" he whispered, as she turned to look at him. 

"Sophie," she mouthed, before turning back to the conversation. "Okay, Soph. Just be good for your Uncles and we'll call later before bedtime." 

"Kay! Bye Mommy!" Sophia squealed. "Unca Jim, take me away to the doughnut shop!" she squealed, before the line went dead. 

With a sigh, Melanie hung up adn set the phone down on the counter. "What happened?" Chris asked, as she turned the faucet up. 

"Sophia got hit in the face with a soccer ball again," she sighed, wiping her hands off with a dishtowel. "Knocked out two of her bottom teeth, which were semi-loose to begin with and she's got split lip." 

"Oh my god!" Chris shook his head. "Is she okay? Did Len take her to the hospital? Should we go home?" 

Melanie shook her head, "Lenny said that she cried for maybe two minutes, before she saw the blood and the two teeth on the grass," she sighed. "Said she started laughing like crazy and the first words out of her bloody mouth were, "Coooooolll!!!" 

Chris snorted at her imitation of their daughter, "My little tomboy," he sighed, shaking his head. "God, people are going to start thinking that we beat her. With all the damn bruises she comes home with..." 

"If it wasn't helping with her behavior, I would take her out," Melanie sighed. "But I really need to talk to the coach and come up with something to protect her face. They took her to the dentist, just to make sure nothing else was broken or loose. She was nice enough to check her lip, which didn't need any stitches thank god."

"Maybe karate?" he shrugged. "Or we could take her and the others to that Skyzone place after school. Let them jump around and whatnot for an hour or two..." 

"Maybe," Melanie shrugged, running her fingers through her hair. "She was so happy on the phone though. Couldn't wait to tell me about her mouth and the ice cream Jimmy's getting her. Poor Lenny sounded like he was going to have a heart attack on the phone." 

Chris snorted, "She went from crying at every little scratch she got to being fascinated by blood," he shuddered. "She's going to milk this injury for a few days, just to get ice cream and sweets." 

She snickered, "She told Jim to take her to the doughnut shop, as she was hanging up," she said. "Anyways, how's the grill? Any water damage?" 

"Nope," Chris shook his head, as he pulled the refrigerator door open. "Which is a miracle, considering how much rain fell yesterday..." 

Grabbing the package of defrosted chicken off the shelf, Chris also grabbed the bag of potatoes on the counter. "I'll throw these on and let them cook,"he said, as Melanie took out the roll of foil and bottle of barbecue sauce from the cabinet. "Then I'll come in and help you with everything else." 

For an hour, the moved around one another, with brief touches to one's hips or back so that they wouldn't collied into each other; between packages of food to glass plates and knives in their hands, neither wanted to take a trip to the hospital. By the time dinner was done, they settled around the table inside; the puddles of water brought out the mosquitos, whom buzzed around at full force, searching for their victims. Instead of wine, which had been their friend for the last few days, they settled on water and fresh lemonade. Making small talk, they talked about what the kids were up to and how they were behaving for their Uncles. 

"Charlie saw a thing at the library for this painting class," Melanie said, picking up the pitcher of lemonade. "It's that Monday night after we come home at five-thirty. Ten bucks to get in and they have all the supplies for you. Maybe we could both go with her? Sophie's got a sleepover with Katie and Joanna's taking Olivia to see that piggy movie that night. We could see if Len and Jimmy could take CJ.." 

"That sounds like fun," Chris said. I was thinking earlier about how we need a few more things to hang up in the living room. And what would be better than artwork by Charlie?" 

Once dinner is over, they both work together to store the leftovers and wash dishes by hand. Afterwards, they both settled down on the couch, flipping through the channels; with nothing interesting on, Chris turned the television off and searched for a deck of cards. 

"How about we play something completely out of character for us?" Melanie suggested, when Chris came back with the cards in hand. 

"Go fish?" he teased. 

Melanie giggled and shook her head, "Strip poker." 

Chris paused, trying to find the right words to say, when she laughed. "A-are you sure?" he asked. "That means.. we have to get naked."

"Oh don't be so modest," Melanie snorted. "I've seen you naked plenty of times. How else did we have four kids? Sex through a hole in the sheets?" 

"I..." he trailed off. "I just don't know if I'll be able to handle myself, if you're naked." 

She shrugged, "So lets see what happens, shall we?" she teased, grinning. "Same rules as any poker game. Loser of each round has to remove one article of clothing. Last one with clothes on, is the winner." 

"I know how to play strip poker, Mel," he said, as they both sat down on either side of the coffee table. "I was a drunk college student before." 

Shuffling the cards, Chris made sure they had enough cards, before settling the remainder down between them. Within the first ten minutes, Chris lost his shirt and socks, while Melanie only lost shirt. 

"How the hell?" Chris asked, as he lost the third round. "When did you get so good at poker? You always lost when we played." 

"I might've used my friendly companion," she shrugged, as he tugged off his shorts. "Google." 

He snorted, "This is sad," he shook his head, looking down at his plaid boxers. "If anyone should be in their underwear right now, it's you. I'm the undeclared king of poker." 

Melanie laughed, "Undeclared," she shook her head, setting her cards down. "Hence why you're lo-what the fuck?" 

"You were saying?" he asked, as she grumbled, tugging off her shorts. "Aren't those quite revealing?" 

"Oh hush," she scowled, as he eyed her lacy hot pink thong. "Jim thought it would be funny to pack all the skimpy underwear I had. He's lucky I'm not due to get my period until the end of the month." 

"At least he picked everything that matched," he shrugged, nodding to the matching see-through bra. "Though, that one is really skimpy." 

Melanie hunched forward, using the table to hide the fact that her nipples had hardened, all thanks to the cool breeze that came through the window and the fact that she was partially naked in front of him. "Like I said, Jim thought it would be funny." 

But Chris couldn't stop staring at her; her sun kissed skin and the hot pick straps of her bra, poking out above the table top. Her blonde hair, also sunkissed, hanging loosely around her face as the strands fell out of her ponytail. Knowing that she wore nothing but scraps as underwear, which was hidden from his view, made it even more difficult to maintain perfect composure. 

"Mellie..." he whispered, nearly groaning. 

She watched as he crawled around the table, settling behind her, his hand slowly moving to rest on her shoulder. Shivering at his touch, Melanie sat still as he moved his hand from her shoulder and into the cup of her bra, his fingers brushing against her overly sensitive nipple. 

"Chris.." she gasped, as his hand caressed her breast. 

"Do you want to stop?" he asked, pausing. 

Melanie rested her head back against his shoulder, her legs spreading out in front of her. "N-no," she whispered, one hand moving to rest on his knee. "I don't want you to stop." 

Turning around, Melanie straddled his lap, her arms going over his shoulders; her hands threading into his hair. Fusing their lips together, Melanie relaxed into his embrace, as his moved from her ass, up her back to the back of her neck. Reaching behind her, Melanie unclasped her bra, breaking the kiss to pull the skimpy garment off. Once she was free from it, Chris moved his mouth to one of her breasts, teasing the nipple with a mixture of teeth and tongue. Gasping, Melanie bucked her hips towards him, scrambling for purchase as she gripped his hair and shoulders with her hands. By the time he moved to the other breast, Melanie was rubbing her crotch against his bare leg; the wetness evident as she moved against him. 

Easing her down on the carpet, Chris moved so that both knees were on either side of her hips. Letting go of his shoulders, Melanie reached between them and tugged her panties off, tossing them to the the side, before wrapping her legs around his thighs. 

"Are you sure you wanna?" Chris asked, panting against her face. 

She nodded, "Ye-yeah," she gasped. "Yeah. I want to." 

Removing the one article of clothing that separated them, lay between her thighs, wasting no time as he thrusted into her. The first initial thrust, made Melanie cry out in a mix of pain and pleasure. But when he made a move to slow down, she tightened her hold- both legs and arms- around him, and urged him to continue. It didn't matter that it had been nearly two months since they'd last had sex; despite the little bit of foreplay and her response to it, her natural lubrication was enough for this first round. 

"Oh god," Chris groaned into her ear, as he thrusted into her quickly. "Oh god! Oh fuck!" 

Melanie groaned as she felt the first hot pulse of cum, followed by the second and third, as Chris lay tense above her. Once he was done, trembling in the aftermath of his orgasm, he settled his weight down against her body; his face tucked into her neck. 

"I'm sorry," he groaned, panting against her flush skin. "I'm sorry. Its been.. a while." 

Lacing her fingers through the ends of his sweaty hair, Melanie pressed a kiss his temple. "It's okay," she panted, as he twitched inside her. "We've got plenty of time..." 

He lifted his head up to look at her, as she used both hands to push back his hair, which was soaked with sweat. "I love you," he said, as she caressed the sides of his face. 

"I love you too," she said softly, giving him a small smile. 

Leaning down, he captured her lips with his own, cheering in triumph to himself when she kissed him back. Moving to lay next to her, Chris wrapped his arms around her waist and shoulders, as she laid her head upon his chest.

It didn't cure all their problems, since there were many more to address and work on.

But it was a start.  

 


	7. Chapter 7

The next few days at the lake house, were like a roller coaster, as emotions went up and down. Between their mini-dates, they had sex and lots of it, around the house. They always ended up in bed together at the end of the night, or early morning, and woke up next to each other. They fought along the way, going from minor disagreements to full blown screaming matches at one another. Throughout the entire process, they were learning about who they were as people-  _individuals-_ after thirteen years together. Much had changed, from their early years as a whirlwind romance to a married couple with four children. 

It didn't matter if their evening ended in sex or an argument, for they both went to bed together. In between all of that, they managed to facetime their children, which pleased them greatly, for they'd missed their parents. Being able to see them, whether it be by phone, tablet or computer, was enough.

"Daddddy, you gots sunburns!" Olivia gasped, as she sat in front of Joanna's computer screen. "Are you hurt?" 

Chris shook his head, "Mommy's been taking care of me," he said, as he though back to their mid-afternoon frolic in the lake. "We went for a swim in the lake and I forgot to put more sunscreen on," he said, leaving out the bit where he and Melanie had an angry fuckfest on the porch; the damp towel being their savior, when it came to splinters and sustaining any burns. 

The little girl looked unsure at his confession, which lead Chris to change the topic, before she could fret anymore. "We heard that you went with Uncle Bones and Joanna to look at puppies!" he said, which made her squeal. "Did they get one?" 

"No!" she shook her head. "But I gots to hold six puppies!" she giggled, holding up six fingers. "They gave me kisses and slept on my legs! Uncle Bones took lots of pictures to show you and Mommy! They were babies, Daddy! So many babies!" 

Twenty minutes of chatting about baby puppies and the fruit salad she got to help make, Leonard sent her off to "attack Uncle Jim for a piggy back ride," before sitting down at the computer. 

"So?" he asked. "How's it going up there? You guys gettin' anywhere?" 

"Yeah," Chris sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I mean, we fight everyday, but we balance it out with everything else. 

Leonard grimaced, "Which means ya'll are finally screwin' like rabbits again," he said, which made Chris snort. "Well, good for you two I guess." 

Behind him, Olivia's innocent little voice made Leonard jump. "What's "screwing like rabbits" mean, Uncle Bones?" she asked, as Leonard whipped around to look at her. "Did Mommy and Daddy buy me a bunny!" 

Chris laughed, as his innocent and overly excited daughter came rushing back to the computer. "No baby," he said, as she climbed onto Leonard's lap. "Uncle Bones just likes to say funny things, is all." 

"Just don't go repeatin' what I say to your sisters," Leonard groaned, as Olivia sighed. "Or to anyone for that matter, okay?" 

"Okayyyy," she sighed. "Uncle Jim says he can't give me a piggyback ride. He says that you has to do it, so can you do it Uncle Bones?" 

Chuckling at the expectant look she gave Leonard, he finally spoke up. "Mel and I are going into town for the evening," he said. "So.. make sure Uncle Bones gives you the best piggy back ride, okay? When we come home, I'll give you so many piggy back rides to make up for me being away." 

Olivia cheered happily, blowing a kiss to her father. "C'mon!" she shouted with glee, as she scrambled off Leonard's lap. "I wanna go for a ride! I wanna be tall!" 

"I'll send you my chiropractor bill," Leonard scowled. "We'll call tomorrow so you can talk to your other three, who are driving other parent's crazy today." 

"Looking forward to it," Chris snorted, as Melanie started downstairs. "Give them all a hug and kiss for us!" 

Signing off, Chris set the tablet down on the table, just as Melanie left the last step of the staircase; her white sundress, swishing around her knees. "You look....." he said, as he stood up from the table. "Wow."

Melanie looked down at the dress, "This old thing?" she asked, while blushing. 

"Old or not," Chris said, as he took her hand into his, pulling her to him. "Gorgeous." 

"Thank you," she said, blushing. "You don't look so bad yourself. A little sunburnt though, huh..." 

He snorted, as they started for the front door. "Olivia was very concerned," he said, picking up the car keys from the hall table. "Told her that Mommy was taking care of me though, but she still looked concerned." 

Locking up the house, they started across the lawn to the car. "More like Mommy's using sexual tactics to cure Daddy's pain," she said, climbing into the car. "I still don't understand  _how_ a blowjob in the shower is going to cure your pain, Chris." 

"Releasing all the tension," he shrugged, backing out of the driveway. "It relaxes the body and makes you sleepy. I mean, I took a two hour nap after that...." 

"Yeah and I was stuck doing laundry and checking myself for ticks," Melanie scowled, as he drove. "You got to nap and by the time you woke up, we had to get ready to go out." 

It was a short drive from the lake to the small town, which housed shops and restaurants. "I'm sure you'll sleep in tomorrow and nap after you eat a late breakfast," Chris said, slowing down at a crosswalk. "And I'm sure you'll pass out as soon as we get home tonight." 

"Oh no," Melanie laughed, shaking her head. "I didn't even get a chance to have an orgasm today, so you're going to fucking fuck me until I have  _at least_ two of them tonight." 

Chris looked over at her, eyebrows raised. "Oh, really?" he asked, as she nodded firmly. "I give it two hours before you start crying about heat stroke and wanting to go home to sleep." 

As he parked the car in the municipal parking lot, Melanie snorted. "It was your idea to come down here to walk," she reminded him, as he cut the engine. 

"Are we going to fight right now?" he asked, looking over at her. "You got to pick the last date, so this is mine. A walk in town with my wife. If you're nice to me, maybe I'll get you an old fashion lollypop. Or some taffy." 

"What am I? Four years old?" she asked, as he got out of the car. 

She watched as he walked around the front, before coming to her door, opening it for her. Unbuckling, Melanie grabbed her purse and took his hand, which he held out for her. "You whine as much as a four year old," he shrugged, closing the car door. "I think you whine more than our children combined." 

They walked across the lot and to the sidewalk, looking both ways before crossing the street. "I could say the same for you," Melanie scoffed, as he took her hand into his. "Honestly.." 

Chris stopped near the edge of the sidewalk and silenced her with a kiss, his free hand coming up to rest against the side of her neck. When he pulled back, Melanie's eyes were glazed over with lust and she was slightly panting. "Man, if kissing you like that made ya stop," he teased, as she pouted. Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, Melanie stepped onto the sidewalk and wrapped her arm around his waist. "Come on," Chris chuckled, kissing the side of her head. "Lets go for a walk and if you're really good, I'll buy you dinner." 

................

Four hours and a stop for pizza and beer later, Melanie was dozing in and out in the passenger seat of the car. At her feet, two shopping bags slid along the floor of the car, the content spilling out as Chris turned int the driveway of the house. In between the pizza and beer, they'd stopped at an old fashioned candy shoppe to stock up on sweets. After that, Melanie practically pulled his arm off, when she spotted a bookstore a few shops down. They'd spent an hour, walking down the long and dimly lit aisles; spending more time kissing, than looking at books. They managed to contain themselves long enough, to pick out a book each to read while basking in the sun or lounging about on rainy days. 

When the car came to a stop, Melanie jolted awake with a startled grunt, lifting her head away from the window. "Hm?" she groaned, as Chris pulled the key out of the ignition. "Home?" 

"Yeah," he said, as she unbuckled slowly. "You alright to get out?" 

She nodded, as the door opened, groaning at the site of the candy and books that spilled out onto the floor. Getting out of the car, Chris jogged around to the other side and helped her clean up the mess, before taking both bags and her purse in hand. Locking the car, Chris held her hand as they walked up to the front door of the house. Once inside, the cool blast of the air conditioner hitting them, Melanie kicked off her shoes and padded down the hall to the bedroom. 

"You wanna take a shower?" Chris asked, following her. 

"No," Melanie grumbled, as they both walked into the bedroom. "I need to lay down." 

As Melanie face planted into the pillow, Chris set the bags down on the floor near the suitcase, before making his way over to her side of the bed. "Do you want to go to bed?" he asked, laying his hand against her back. 

She nodded, "Yes," she mumbled, moving her head to the side. "Tomorrow, we can have sex. Too tired to enjoy it. 

"Okay," Chris chuckled, as he moved to unzip the dress. "Come on, sit up so I can get this off you." 

Doing what he asked, Melanie lifted her arms up, and sighed as the dress came off. "Do you want to keep your bra on?" he asked, as she moved her hands behind her back to unclasp the contraption; the bra came off and was being shoved into his hands, as Melanie laid back on the pillows. "Okay.... shirt?" 

Melanie's face twisted up in displeasure. "Don't make me sit up again," she whined, sounding a lot like Sophia when she was told to do something. 

"Fine, fine," Chris shook his head, standing up to toss the clothes in the pile with the others.

Stripping out of his own clothes, Chris crawled into bed next to her, pulling the blankets up to cover them both. Rolling over, tucking her arms into her chest, Melanie burrowed against his side; her face pressed against his chest and her leg draped over his. Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, Chris made sure the blankets were up to her chin, before relaxing into the mattress and pillows. 

"Hmmm, did you put the candy away?" Melanie mumbled, as he rubbed her back slowly. 

Chris snorted, "The candy is safe," he promised, as she sighed happily. "You can have some tomorrow." 

Yawning, Melanie shifted her head against him and sighed. "Kay," she mumbled "Loveyou.." 

"I love you, too," Chris whispered, gathering her closer to his side, as he let unconsciousness take over him. 

......................

Melanie squirmed, letting out a whimper, as her head tipped back to rest against the bathroom mirror. With one hand bracing against the counter top, the other rested upon the head that was between her thighs. 

"F-fuck!" she cried out, her legs trembling as she came. 

Waking up a little after ten, both Melanie and Chris climbed out of bed, sticky with sweat from both their walk and sleep. Stripping off their underwear, they climbed under the hot spray of the shower and lathered up with soap, washing thoroughly, before turning their attention to each other. With light kisses and teasing caresses, Melanie ended up pressed against the wall of the shower stall, as Chris fucked her from behind; two orgasms wrenched from her, as she scrambled for purchase against the slick walls of the shower, taking down shampoo bottles and both herself and Chris, as she sank to her knees with exhaustion. Reaching a climax himself, they both rinsed off and stepped out of the shower; in Melanie's case, she was lifted out of the shower and placed onto the counter top, where Chris continued to please her with his mouth and fingers. 

With her thighs tense and wrapped around his head, Chris managed to pry them open so he could come up, grinning at the sight before him. Her chest and face covered in a deep flush and sweaty, as droplets of water rolled down her body; her eyes closed and her mouth parted as she panted and trembled. Standing up, ignoring the cracking that his knees produced, Chris wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her across the counter to the edge. 

"Oh god," Melanie groaned weakly. "Please tell me you're not ready to go again." 

"I'm good, but not that good," he snorted, as she draped her arms over his shoulders. "Give me fifteen minutes and we could go again. If you want to that is." 

Torn between wanting to and needing to relax, Melanie shook her head. "Maybe later?" she asked, hoping he would understand. "We need to eat breakfast and I need to rest my pelvis before you do anything else to it." 

Snorting, Chris nodded and helped her off the counter, holding onto her as he grabbed a towel to dry her off. Heading into the bedroom, Chris grabbed some clothes for them both and helped Melanie pull her clothes on. Dressed in shorts, Chris led her out of the bedroom and into the living room. 

"Put something on to watch," he said, covering her legs with a quilt. "I'll whip us up something and we can rest in here for a while.

"Kay," Melanie nodded, pulling her hair up into a bun. 

He settled on scrambled eggs, toast and some fruit, while the coffee machine gurgled to life. Fifteen minutes later, they were both settled together on the couch with their plates and cups, watching a nature show. When they were both done, Chris took the plates and the cups into the kitchen and placed them into the sink, returning to find Melanie struggling to keep her eyes closed. Sitting down on the couch, Chris lifted up the blanket and motioned for her to come to him. Laying back against the couch pillow that was propped against the arm of the couch, Melanie laid between his legs with her face pressed against the front of his shirt. 

"Take a nap," Chris said, as he shook the heavy quilt over them both. 

Nodding, Melanie closed her eyes and went limp against him, as she fell asleep quickly. Wrapping both arms around her waist, Chris slipped his hand under the back of her sweatshirt and took note of how cold her skin felt against his hand. Thinking back to Melanie's revelation of being cold all the time, made him worry. Along with the the drastic amount of weight she had lost since March, he could see the signs of exhaustion on her; the bags under her eyes, and the short colds she'd catch from the kids or from traveling. Between work, home life and the last week and a half of emotional distress, she was burnt out. 

Trying is best to push all the negative scenarios out of his head, Chris pulled the blanket up to her ears, and held her tightly to his body. No matter what the outcome would be, in regards to their marriage, Chris wouldn't rest until he knew that everything was alright. 


	8. Chapter 8

Melanie frowned at the bandaid that covered the inner portion of her elbow, a thick wad of gauze underneath. Chris sighed, as he wrapped another blanket around her shoulders, smoothing down her hair as she sat on the couch. 

"You know you can take that off, right?" he asked, nodding to the bandaid. "We've been home for an hour already." 

"It's gonna hurt," she pouted, laying her head back. "I rather it fall off." 

Rolling his eyes, Chris took hold of her arm with one hand, slowly pulling the bandaid and gauze off with the other. Melanie scowled at him, as he started for the kitchen. After waking from their nap, Melanie was still cold and could barely talk as her teeth chattered in her head. Beyond worried, Chris quickly searched for a nearby walk-in clinic, after Melanie protested against going to the hospital, and found one within two miles of the lake house. Bundling her up, Chris got her into the car and they took the drive through town. Relieved that they took their insurance, Chris filled out the necessary paper work and waited with Melanie as the minutes ticked by. 

Once they were called into the exam room, the nurse administered the proper procedures; taking her height, weight, medical history and blood. Another ten minutes went by, before the doctor came in to see them, asking more questions and administering a physical exam. 

"It'll be a few days before we get your blood results back," he said, leaning against the wall. "But based on what you've told me, I think you might have iron-deficiency anemia. That, along with the drastic weight loss and fatigue? You've got a lot going on and your body is telling you so, by producing all these symptoms." 

"I've never been diagnosed with anemia.." Melanie said. 

He looked down at her chart, "When you were pregnant, did your OB/GYN ever inform you about your mineral iron count?" he asked, as she shook her head. "Usually we see cases of iron-deficiency anemia in women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, both of which, deplete your iron stores. But since you're not pregnant nor breastfeeding, and you still have a monthly cycle, you could be losing a lot of your iron count through menstruation. It's possible that you could be eating certain foods or consuming caffeinated drinks, that are lowering your iron count..." 

"The periods," Melanie shook her head, as she looked at Chris. "They've been so bad since I had CJ. Remember? The summer we came up here when he was a year old?" 

Chris nodded, "Every month since they started after she gave birth," he started. "They've been pretty bad. The doctor suggested birth control, but..." 

Melanie sighed, "I've been on so many different brands of pills," she said, as the doctor took note in her chart. "Too many reactions to all of them, which made daily functioning impossible. I know taking the pill could stabilize my period and how much blood is lost, but the consequences?" 

"I have some literature I want you to read," he said. "I had another patient recently with the same issue when it came to birth control. Since it's almost five and the lab in town is about to close, I'll send your blood sample over and have it rushed." 

"Okay," Melanie said. 

"Once we get the results, we will call," he continued. "But for now? You need to be a on a healthy diet. No skipping meals. You're underweight, Mrs. Pike. And you need to get back on a schedule when it comes to sleeping, as well. If the results show anemia, you'll have to be on iron supplements. Folic acid or Iron vitamins. And you must follow up with your primary doctor, okay?" 

"She will,"Chris said, nodding. 

Excusing himself, the doctor left the couple alone in the exam room. 

"Why are you skipping meals?" Chris asked, as Melanie looked down at her lap. "Mellie, you know that's not healthy." 

"Sometimes I just forget to eat, is all," she shrugged. 

He shook his head, standing up to fetch her sweatshirt off the chair. "No more," he said, helping her put the sweatshirt on. "You need to eat three solid, and healthy, meals everyday. If you need to, snack in between; eat a protein bar or have a bowl of grapes... something." 

Looking up at him, Melanie saw the worry and exhaustion on his face. Her constant health battles, big or small, took a little piece of him every time. 

"I'm sorry," she whispered. 

"You're still going to the doctor when we go home," he warned. 

She nodded and Chris sighed, "Oh Mellie," he shook his head, pulling the hood of her sweatshirt up. "What am I going to do with you?" 

Collecting the medical literature that the doctor printed out, they paid their co-pay and left, heading back to the house after that. With Melanie camped out of the sofa, still cold but not as bad as before, Chris went to work on making dinner for them both. Skipping the wine, he poured out two glasses of water for them both, brining them out to the living room. 

"What are you making?" Melanie asked, as he handed her the glass. "Smells good in there." 

"Chicken stir-fry," he said, as she took a sip from her glass. "I've got chinese noodles cooking and thank god we had low-sodium teriyaki sauce..." 

Melanie frowned, "That doesn't sound very "healthy," Chris," she said. 

He nodded, "I used fresh vegetables instead of frozen," he informed her. "And, I didn't load it up with sauce, like you do." 

She scowled, "I just have to make a salad and it'll be good to go," he continued. "And for dessert, you're having grapes. Maybe I'll cut an apple or two for ya." 

"Oh my god, I know I need to be healthy, but can't you let me have ice cream?" she whined. "The serving size? I have to fatten up again, and I can't do that with fruit." 

"Just eat what I make you," Chris said, standing up. "You'll thank me one day, when fattening you up a bit, made you feel a hell of a lot better!" 

.....................

"I have anemia," Melanie said, as she sat next to Chris on the dock. 

After receiving the news, they went outside to get some air and sunshine, walking the short distance to the dock. Laying out, they both sat in silence, before Melanie broke it with her statement. 

"It's not as bad as you think," Chris reasoned, as she sighed. "So you'll have to take folic acid everyday and eat better. Maybe it'll go away when you get through menopause. I mean, that's where most of the iron is being lost, right? So once you're in your fifties and your monthly friend stops coming around you should be fine." 

Melanie chewed on her lip, "Mellie," Chris said, laying his hand on her bare knee. "Look at me." 

Doing what he asked, Melanie turned her head to look at him. "You're going to be fine," he said, nodding. "When we go home, we'll talk to the doctor and see what he says. And we're going to visit Dr. Lyndon and hopefully she'll be able to help you. Okay?" 

"Okay," Melanie nodded.

Chris moved across the hot planks and settled down next to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. Placing a kiss against the side of her head, he gave them a firm squeeze, before patting her on the back lightly. "Let's go inside," he said. "We'll have some lunch and take a nap? Or play one of the hundreds of board games, that are stacked in the hall closet." 

"Chicken salad on rye?" Melanie asked, looking up at him with an innocent look. "And a nap. We can play a board game after dinner." 

"Whatever you want to do, Mellie," Chris said, as he stood up. Turning, he held out his hands and pulled her up to her feet. "Later, I'll go out and pick up a bottle of folic acid for you. That way you can start it now, instead of waiting a week." 

She huffed, "Don't," Chris warned, as they started towards the house. "This is serious. You need to be on top of this, Mellie. We both need to be." 

Kicking a twig out of the way, she gave in. "I know," she said, nodding. "Just sucks, is all." 

"It's all part of life," Chris sighed, as they started up the porch steps. "Everything that happens is part of life, Mel. It'll get better once we go home, okay? Try not to stress over it right now, because you need to focus on just being healthy." 

They stepped into the house, which was fifteen degrees cooler, than outside. "I just hate that this is just being piled on to everything else," Melanie shrugged. "We came here to save our marriage. Not deal with a health crisis." 

"Mellie, having you healthy is part of saving our marriage," Chris said, placing his hands on her shoulders. "I need you to be healthy. And we're saving our marriage, regardless of health issues or not. We already said that divorce wasn't an option, so it's not like I'm going to bail out when we go home." 

She nodded, "I'm here," he continued. "I'm here with you a hundred percent, Mellie. No matter what. So let me help. Let me help take care of you. I've been doing it the last thirteen years and I don't ever plan on stopping." 

When she didn't respond right away, Chris lifted her chin up with his hand. "Okay?" he asked, as she nodded again. He leaned down and kissed her, "You go on and sit at the table," he said. "I'll get lunch ready and we'll take a nap." 

"Okay," Melanie said, giving his hand a squeeze, before turning and walking over to the kitchen table. 

Watching her sit down with a tired sigh; slouching down in the chair, with her legs sprawled out and her hand resting against her forehead, her eyes closed. She was exhausted and it was telling to the eye; the dark circles under her eyes, which were bloodshot, physical complaints of aches and pains. Not wanting to make her suffer any longer, Chris got to work, taking out the package of bread and the container of chicken salad from the fridge. 

A few days of relaxation would do her some good, before they went back to the chaos that was home. 


	9. Chapter 9

Later that night, after eating a small dinner, Melanie did some laundry while Chris cleaned the kitchen. With their first week at the lake coming to an end, they both realized how much they left behind, while spending time together. They were out of towels and their swim suits were stiff and rank; the scent of the water and rolling around on the ground, nearly made Melanie gag. With the machine running with towels, Melanie hung up her bras and threw in a few dryer sheets, before setting the machine on. Moving the basket to the side, she turned the light off and made her way through the lower level of the house and into the kitchen. 

"I have towels and blankets in the dryer," she announced, as Chris pulled the full garbage bag out of the trash can. "Hopefully they'll be dry by the time we go to bed." 

"Are you cold?" he asked, eyeing her sweatshirt/leggings combo. "I could put the heat up and turn the AC off in the bedroom." 

Melanie nodded, "But what about you? It's breezy outside, but it's still warm," she noted, as he moved to the backdoor. 

He stepped outside and lifted the top to the trash can, heaving the loaded bag in. "I'll manage," he said, setting the top back on. "Besides, you've got all the blankets from the hall closet on the bed. I don't think either of us will freeze that much." 

"Okay," she shrugged, as he set the dish towel down. 

"Wanna watch a movie?" Chris asked, leaning against the counter. "Play a board game?" 

"Movie?" Melanie shrugged. "We have that box of popcorn in the cabinet. And I think we have credits to rent a movie off demand... maybe we could pick out something we wanted to see and never got the chance to." 

Throwing in a bag of microwaveable popcorn, Chris skipped the wine and filled two glasses up with water. In the living room, Melanie fixed the couch up with the pillows and blankets, before dimming the lights and closing the curtains that faced the lake. By the time the popcorn was done and in the bowl, Chris brought it and the water out to the living room. 

"Okay," he sighed, setting everything onto the table. "What looks good?" 

"Well," Melanie said, as she skimmed their options. "We've got several romantic comedies, a few slasher films, a crude humor film with the lovable Seth Rogen...." 

They settled on a comedy, crude humor and all, which the thoroughly enjoyed. By the time the credits rolled, Melanie was half-awake, her head on Chris' lap. The bowl of popcorn sat on the table, half empty, as the the glasses of water. 

"You ready for bed?" Chris asked, running his fingers through her hair. "I'm surprised you made it through the entire movie, without falling asleep." 

"Mmmhmm," Melanie nodded, yawning. 

Helping her up, Chris stood from the couch and grabbed the bowl and cups, moving quickly to put them in the kitchen. When he returned, Melanie's eyes were closed and the television was still on. 

"Come on," he said gently, helping her up. "Let's get you into bed and I'll go see if those blankets are dry." 

Leading a grumpy Melanie down the hall and into the bedroom, Chris tucked her in under the dozen blankets that covered the bed. He then quickly ran down the hall to the laundry room, relived to find the blankets dry and warm. Grabbing two, he quickly went back to the bedroom and pulled the blankets off Melanie. 

"Noooo!" she cried, as he placed the blanket on her. 

"Better?" he asked, once she was covered with the two blankets. 

Melanie nodded, as he pulled all the blankets back over her. Shaking his head, Chris went into the bathroom to wash up for bed, before coming back out. By the time he climbed under the blankets and next to her, Melanie was out cold and snoring. Turning off the lamp, Chris settled under the weight of three blankets, before rolling onto his side to face Melanie. Seeing her under the mass of the blankets, made his heart clench with worry. Despite knowing that she had a serious health condition, which could be controlled by medication, it was still a shock to see. Laying in bed with enough blankets, wasn't the norm for Melanie; especially in the summertime months. On the nights when the temperature would drop below freezing, she would pull out the heaviest of comforters from the hall closet at home, dress the bed with thermal sheets and herself in thermal pajamas; in the winter. 

Moving closer, Chris weaved his arm under the mass of blankets, before wrapping it around her waist. Settling his hand under her shirt, resting it against her belly, Chris pulled her closer to his side. 

.....................

"I don't wanna go swimming!" Melanie pouted, stomping her foot. 

Chris bit back the groan and comment he wanted to make, "Then what do you  _want?"_ he asked, as she grumbled under her breath. "You didn't want to do your arts and crafts, you said no to the movie..." 

"If we go swimming, that means I'll have to shower and rush drying my hair..." she listed, earning a snort from him. 

"So?" he asked. "We had sex this morning and that didn't stop you from taking a shower!" 

Melanie scowled, "That's because you kept all the blankets on us!" 

"I didn't want you to get cold!" he shot back, holding his hands up. "Jesus, Melanie. The more you stomp and pout, the more you look like Charlotte! You're acting like a child right now!" 

"I'm going out!" Melanie announced, grabbing the car keys off the table. 

Chris sputtered, "Wh-where are you going?!" he asked, as she grabbed her wallet from her purse. "Melanie Rose!" 

He followed her down the hall towards the front door and out onto the front steps, closing the door behind him. "Melanie!" 

"What?!" she whirled around, making him trip over his own feet. "What do you want?!" 

Righting himself, Chris took a small step back. "Where the hell are you going?" he asked, as she glared at him. "You can't just announce you're going out, grab the keys and run out the door!" 

"I'm going to get ice cream!" 

"But we have ice cream in the house," Chris frowned, shaking his head. 

Melanie scoffed, "I don't want that ice cream," she said, making a face. "I'm getting  _real_ ice cream.'  
  
Chris wanted to laugh, but the look on her face, kept him from doing so. "So the ice cream we have is what? Imaginary?" he asked, as she crossed her arms under her breasts. 

"Are you coming or not?" she finally asked. "Because I'm giving you two seconds to make your choice, before I lock the front door and leave you out here." 

.......................

"God, you're going to be so sick later," Chris said, shaking his head. He watched as Melanie ate the largest sundae possible, showing no signs of stopping. Ordering a small, single scoop of vanilla, Chris had already finished his cold treat. 

"No I'm not," Melanie said, licking the chocolate sauce off her spoon. "Stop bein' a drag, Chris." 

Shaking his head, Chris sat quietly as Melanie manage to polish off her sundae, pushing the bowl away. "Done?" he asked, as she wiped her mouth with a napkin, nodding. "Good, wanna take a walk or head back to the house?" 

"Are you suggesting a walk, because I just ate this entire bowl?" Melanie asked, giving him a stare down. 

Chris shook his head, "I asked, because it's nice outside," he said. "And we could take a walk in the park that's up the block..." 

Giving in, they left a tip at the table and left, heading in the opposite direction of where their car was parked. They reached the park in under five minutes, their pace slowing to a leisurely stroll, as they walked along the gravel pathway. 

"Jim texted me this morning," Melanie said, as they walked. "He signed Charlie up for the art thing at the library she wants to go to. He put down the three of us, that way the class wouldn't close out when we got home." 

"Thank god," Chris snorted. "The last thing I want, is for Charlie to rip our heads off for forgetting..." 

Melanie shook her head "And she's also running low on her paints," she continued. "So maybe, when we go home, the two of us could take her to the art store?" 

"Why does she want me to go?" Chris asked, as they walked. "She whines about how much I complain about the prices of the paints..." 

She sighed, "Because she wants the two of us with her?" she said. "Chris, she just wants the two of us to take her out for the day. Besides, you'll actually learn something when you go shopping with her and keep your mouth shut." 

"Oh really?" he asked, as she nodded. "Like what?" 

"Charlotte knows every pro and con for each kind of paint, brush and canvas," Melanie announced. "She literally had a five minute debate with me over why she needed a specific brand of charcoal pencils over another, to which the guy at the counter confirmed. She's  _smart,_ Chris. How she became this smart, blows my mind. Neither of us know jack shit about art, yet here she is- painting and drawing like a fucking professional." 

Chris nodded in agreement, "Plus," Melanie continued. "Charlotte's complained a few times herself about your complaining." 

"What?" Chris asked, looking at her. 

Melanie nodded, "The last time I took her up to the store, she cried from the house to the store," she said. "Remember? When you complained about having to pay fourteen bucks for a small tube of paint? Well, my darling complainer, Charlotte took it personally. She believes that you really don't care much about her artwork. Or the fact that she's doing something she likes, just like everyone else is, because it costs "too many dollars," as she puts it." 

The news was troubling to Chris. "I care very much," he said. "Sure, it's expensive to buy all these tubes of paint and brushes. But I buy it for her anyways. Think about it, Mel. The amount of money we spend every three months on paints and brushes, is cheaper than say.... dance classes or gymnastics." 

"I understand that," Melanie said. "But you need to watch how you say things in front of her. She's sensitive, Chris. She's apologized several times to me for the supplies being to expensive. She's even said that when she gets a job, she'll pay back all the "dollars" that you and I have spent on her things." 

"She doesn't have to do that," Chris shook his head. "I don't want her to feel like she has to pay back all the money we've spent on her, so she can continue to paint and work on her craft. Hell, she could have  _two_ jobs and make enough money to buy it all herself, and I'd still buy a fourteen dollar tube of paint for her." 

She sighed, "So when we take her to the store, just try to keep the comments to yourself," she begged. "We don't want her to think that it's getting too expensive to fund her talents. Even when I bought the same canvases, for less at Michael's, she thought I was buying a cheaper board because we didn't have anymore money for it." 

"There's nothing wrong with buy the same exact thing for less," he shrugged. "And sometimes, the cheaper brands are better than the real thing." 

"She's only nine," Melanie reminded him. "She won't understand that concept, until she's out in the real world on her own." 

They walked a little longer before finding a bench to sit on, hiding under the shade of an overgrown oak tree. "I guess we'll have to see what Olivia and CJ end up doing. So far, Olivia's content on playing with all the toys she's had since she was four. CJ on the other hand? I don't know what that boy's more content on; wearing a diaper at three years old or trying to eat food out of the cat's bowl." 

Melanie snickered, "We could always do what your mother suggested," she said. "Let him run around the house naked." 

"So he can shit and piss all over the house?" Chris shook his head. "When we go home, I'll sit with him in the bathroom. He's gotta start peeing the toilet, Mel. He won't be able to go to school if he's not potty trained." 

"If you can do the potty-training with CJ, I would be one happy Mommy," she sighed, leaning back against the bench. "He's a size six in pampers. They only go up to a seven... after that, I don't know what to do. He ripped the pull-ups off when I put them on. And if he didn't do that, he refused to go to the bathroom in them. Nor did he go to the bathroom, when I put him on the toilet." 

Chris wrapped his arm around her shoulders, "Hey, Olivia wore pull-ups to bed up until she was six," he reminded her. "It just takes time, Mel. I know the girls were all potty-trained by two and three, but girls mature faster than boys. Let's see what happens before the summer's over. If we can get him to start going in the potty and he wears the pull-ups when it's bedtime or if we run out to the store.. fine. We can slowly work him into underwear if we reach that point." 

She groaned, "Besides, maybe it's a boy thing," he shrugged. "Maybe he doesn't want to do it in front of you, since you're Mommy. You lack the anatomy, babe. It's possible that, since he's naked from the waist down, he doesn't know what to do. He's so used to peeing and pooping in a diaper and not seeing the mess, that to finally see his own penis is probably a nightmare to him."   
  
"God, I hope that theory works on him, when he's a teenager and finds someone attractive enough," Melanie shook her head. 

"Ah, by fifteen he'll be a heartbreaker," Chris snorted. "Like father, like son." 

Melanie nudged him in the ribs, earning a yelp from him. "My fifteen year old son, will not be having any sexual relations,  _thank you._ I don't want to know about you fucking some teenager when you were fifteen, Chris. As far as I'm concerned, you didn't have a sex life until we got together." 

"Possessive, are we?" Chris teased. 

"Don't get any ideas," Melanie warned, as she got up from the bench. 

He frowned, "We just sat down," he whined. "Why do you want to do more walking?" 

She scowled, "Because, we need to walk back to get to the car?" 

"Why? It's nice out!" Chris pouted. 

"Because I have to poop and I want to do it at the house," Melanie said, bluntly. "And I don't want to hear the "I told you so," from you. Now, let's go!" 

 

 

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, sorry for such a long delay! Been busy with work and didn't really have the desire to write. Hopefully I'll be back to posting regularly. 
> 
> I've also got a bunch of other stories on AO3 that I need to update, so please head on over and check them out! Reviews are welcomed! :) 
> 
>  
> 
> A/N: Sex in the last part of this chapter.

The fire pit crackled, as Chris threw another log into it, using the poker to move around the charred pieces. On the small table near the chairs, Melanie set up the ingredients for s'mores. Along with the graham crackers and marshmallows, there were bottles of bug spray and citronella candles on standby. 

"With all these clothes and the bug spray," Chris said, sitting down in the lounge chair. "We better not get a single bite on us." 

"Maybe we should just make a bunch of these and head inside," Melanie suggested, opening the package of s'more sticks. "It looks like it's going to rain anyways..." 

Moving quickly, they roasted the marshmallows and placed them on the crackers, along with the pieces of chocolate, before blowing out the candles and putting out the fire. Sure enough, as they carried the plate and the rest of the supplies up the back steps, the first crack of thunder rumbled over the lake. 

Only four days remained at the lake house, as things improved daily between them. Earlier that day, they went fishing and had lunch outside, before heading in for an afternoon nap. Dinner was served at six, with a facetime call to the kids to check in on them. Now, almost nine, they were winding down for the night. S'mores and cuddling on the sofa, while a storm raged on outside, was somewhat part of the itinerary; the plan being that they were going to sit outside and eat the snack, before turning in for bed. 

"I still can't believe Jim let CJ run around the house, sans diaper," Melanie shook her head. "I mean, just because it worked for Noah, didn't mean it was going to work for CJ." 

"Maybe it scared him into actually using the toilet," Chris shrugged. "I could hear Len screaming on the phone from the other room." 

Melanie rolled her eyes, as she wiped her mouth with a napkin. "Overdramatic as usual," she muttered. "How many times have we cleaned up their children's shit and piss from our furniture? Remember when Leah had diarrhea that week both he and Jim went away for their anniversary? I had to rent a steamer to get the stains out of the carpet." 

Chris snorted, "At least it was pee," he said, before breaking out into a long, drawn out yawn. "Fuck, I am tired." 

"Me too," Melanie agreed, stretching her arms up and over her head. "I don't know what we're going to do, when we go home. All this sleeping in late, cat naps and staying up late.... we won't be able to really do all that with the kids." 

"Sophia could sleep in al day if we let her," Chris shrugged. "Olivia, maybe. If you bribed her with a trip to Target and a new pig. But Charlie? She would find it scandalous to waste an entire day in bed, sleeping." 

She snorted, "And CJ would just release a reign of terror on the house, if we left him to handle himself." 

The power flickered at that moment, before stabilizing, which made them pause for a moment. 

"Maybe we should get ready for bed," Chris suggested, as a crack of thunder shook the house. "Unplug everything possible and use the flashlights. God forbid lightning hits and fries everything." 

They both got up and threw away the garbage, before moving to unplug the television and some of the kitchen appliances. Locking up, they turned off the lights and headed down the hall to the bedroom, quickly going through their nightly routine, before climbing under the blankets. 

.................

The next morning, after breakfast, they spent the first half of the day cleaning. Dishes were washed and put away, while the garbage was carried to the curb. Melanie did the laundry, folding towels and clothes, before Chris came in and distracted her. 

"Now I have to wash those clothes," Melanie panted, as she sat on the edge of the washer. 

"You were going to shower anyway," Chris reminded her, pressing a kiss to her throat. 

They stayed in a locked embrace, kissing, until Melanie complained of a cramp in her hip. Slowly, Chris eased himself out of her, before helping her off the washer. Melanie stretched her leg a few times, before moving to pick up the discarded clothing on the floor. 

"Let this wash," she said, tossing their clothes into the washer, before turning it on. "When we come home later, I'll start the next load of clothes..." 

"You do realize that we don't have to wash everything before we leave, right?" he asked, as they started out into the hallway. "I mean, we just need clothes for today and the next two days." 

Walking through the bedroom and into the bathroom, Chris turned on the fan while Melanie went to the shower. "The less work I have to do, the better," she said, as the water went on. "Think of all the clothes we're going to have to clean once we get the kids. Sure, Leonard's probably washed some of their clothes, but our children are constantly changing into new outfits everyday." 

Stepping into the shower, Melanie quickly ducked under the steady stream of hot water, while Chris moved two towels to the counter, before joining her. Soaping up and rinsing off quickly, they both got ready relatively fast, before locking up and heading down to the car. 

"Text your brother and tell him to go to the house and check that back light by the door," Chris said, as he pulled out of the driveway. "Hikaru said it was acting up when he went to pick up the ladder the other day." 

"Why didn't you say anything to him yesterday?" Melanie asked, digging her phone out of her bag. "You were talking to him.'  
  
Chris stopped at the end of the street to let a car pass, before pulling out onto the main road. "Because we were talking about CJ," he said, glancing over at her. "I was more concerned about CJ running around without a diaper on, rather than a light outside." 

Suppressing the urge to roll her eyes, Melanie quickly sent Leonard the message, and tossed her phone back into her bag. "I'm not texting anymore," she warned. "We're supposed to be going out for the evening- just the two of us. I don't want to be stuck having a conversation with my brother, when I'm out with you." 

Their date that evening consisted of good food, drinks and live music; a twenty minute drive outside of town down near the water. After seeing a flyer for it in town, Chris decided that it wold be the perfect date for the two of them. The years of attending summer festivals back when he was in college, down in San Francisco, were memories that brought him great joy. It was a time before Rebecca came into his life, ripping it to near shreds, where he could let loose and have a good time. 

"Alright, alright," Chris said, as he slowed the car. "We won't talk to your brother unless it's an emergency." 

"Thank you," Melanie said, lowering the window to let in a cool breeze. "Jesus, is the entire town going to this thing?" 

There was light traffic ahead of them, leading down to the set up of bars and restaurants. "I guess," Chris said, as he watched his surroundings. "The music is being played in this open park or something, not in one of the bars." 

"God help us if it was," Melanie muttered, sitting back in her seat. "Hopefully we can find a spot." 

..................

The car pulled up in front of the house a little after two in the morning, after beating the mad rush of traffic leaving to get back into the town. Tipsy between the beer and the buzz of summer, Melanie and Chris climbed into the backseat of the car and started fooling around like two teenagers. With the carseats out, they were able to sprawl out along the backseats. 

Removing a few pieces of clothing and shifting into a comfortable position, they were easily having sex in the backseat of the car; the first time in years, before carseats were the only occupants in the backseat of any car they drove. On her knees, Melanie gripped the back of the front seat and the back, as Chris drilled into her from behind. 

"Shit," she gasped, as a hard thrust sent tingles running through her groin. 

Pulling her hips up and back, Melanie gasped in pleasure; tightening around him, Chris choked out a gasp, his grip tightening on her hips. Suddenly, there was a flash of a bright light, followed by the sound of a car, which startled Melanie. Opening her eyes, she saw that a car had pulled up in the driveway of the house next to theirs; the occupants spilling out half drunk and laughing. 

"Stop, stop," Melanie gasped, trying to pull Chris's hands off her hips. "Chris!" 

"They can't see us," Chris said, as he continued to thrust into her. "And so what if they can?" 

Through the foggy windows, Melanie watched as the group of people stood around outside, laughing and roughhousing, after a night out. The thrill of fucking in the car, less than ten feet away from strangers, sent a rush of excitement through her. Wrapping his arm around her chest, Chris pulled her up so that her back was against his chest. 

"Come on, Mellie," he grunted, as she mewled. "Scream." 

"I-I'm going to fuck-ah!- fucking kill you," she grunted, clamping down on him. Chris's hips stuttered and he groaned into her hair. The smirk was wiped off her face when he started to thrust harder and faster into her, tightening his hold on her, as she scrambled to hold onto something. 

"You're such an asshole," Melanie snarled, gritting her teeth. 

A sharp thrust made her cry out, as her head almost collided with the window. Luckily, Chris was quick to pull her back up before it could happen. If the people next door could hear them, or see their car moving, it was a thought that was long gone from Melanie's mind. 

The first wave of her orgasm, made her cry out, as her hand slammed against the window, her fingertips pressing into the damp glass. A few seconds later, Chris followed in suit, his weight pressing her down onto the backseat; his cock twitched inside her, as he spilled deep inside her, riding the waves of his orgasm until it was over. 

There was a loud whistle and a few cat-calls, as Melanie's hand slid down from the window; her arm laying limp over the edge of the seat. With the widows rolled up, it was hot inside the car, as the smell of sex and sweat filled small confines within. Chris moved his hands up and under Melanie's body, wrapping around her shoulders.

"Still an asshole?" he managed to get out, panting harshly against her ear. 

"Shut up," Melanie panted, her body twitching still. "I hate to end the party, but I'm leaking onto the seat." 

Chris groaned, tucking his face into her neck. "And it's hot in here," she continued. When he made no indication of moving, Melanie lifted her hips and wiggled her ass into his groin, making him grunt. "Come on," she said, as he gripped her shoulder tightly. "There's a bed inside that is much more comfortable and we can fuck in a much more comfortable position." 

Sighing regrettably, Chris lifted himself up and pulled out of her, grabbing her underwear that landed on the stick shift. Wiping the excess cum that dribbled out of her, Chris tucked himself back into his pants and helped Melanie up into a sitting position. 

"Ready to run for it?" he asked, as she took the stained panties from him. "No matter how fast we move, they'll see us." 

"They're probably too drunk to even realize," Melanie said, reaching into the front seat to grab her back. "But let's go." 

Grabbing the keys, Chris opened the door and got out, helping Melanie as she stood on shaky legs. Closing the door and locking the car, they quickly rushed up to the front door, ignoring the cat calls that followed them. 

"TEAR THAT PUSSY UP, MY MAN!" 

"YO, HE FUCKED HER REAL GOOD! SHE CAN'T EVEN WALK!" 

There were wolf-whistles and typical frat-boy behavior, as Chris unlocked the door and pulled her into the house. Closing the door behind them, Melanie snorted. 

"Jesus Christ," she shook her head, as Chris dropped the keys onto the table. "I think we should go to the upstairs bedroom." 

"Why? You think they're gonna peek into the window and watch?" he teased, as he wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing her against the door. 

Melanie shook her head, rolling her eyes at him. "Come on," Chris said, stealing a quick kiss. "Let's go upstairs so I can tear that pussy up again." 

"CHRISTOPHER!" Melanie shrieked, as he picked her up, tossing her over his shoulder. "So immature!" 

 

 


	11. Chapter 11

"Buy Mooommmmmyyyyy," Charlotte whined, as Melanie suppressed a groan. "I wanna go home already!" 

"Honey, we'll be home Saturday night," she promised, as the girl continued to grumble. "Then on Sunday, Daddy and I will come to get you guys and we'll come home." 

Charlotte mumbled, "Look, why don't you ask Uncle Jim if you can go across the street to Julie's?" she suggested. "I'm sure she's home and maybe she can come over and have lunch and play in the pool." 

Coming downstairs, Chris spotted her on the sofa and saw the look on her face, "What's wrong?" he whispered, coming around the couch to sit down next to her. 

"Charlie," she mouthed, just as the girl started talking again. "She's home? Okay, so go get ready for the day and Uncle Jim will walk you across the street." 

After a few minutes, Melanie wrapped up the phone call with Charlotte. "We'll call later," she said, as Charlotte asked when she was call again. "Be good and have fun, Charlie. I love you." 

Hanging up, Melanie set the phone down next to her and groaned, "She's givin' my brother and Jim a hard time," she announced. "This morning, she got into an argument with Len. Apparently, she's tired of staying at their house and wants to go home already." 

"Well, we're leaving the day after tomorrow," he said, pulling her feet onto his lap. "We'll pick them up bright and early on Sunday. Give her a few days, along with chores, and she'll be cryin' to go back to your brother's house." 

"I highly doubt it," Melanie snorted. "At least Sophia's having the time of her life. Today, she's helping Len with putting new plants in the front yard." 

Chris chuckled, "What about Liv and CJ?" he asked, pressing into the arch of her foot, making her wince. "Sorry." 

"It's okay, just a little sore is all," Melanie insisted, laying her head back against the arm of the sofa. "Um... Olivia's playing with Monty today, since Scotty's got the next few days off from work. He's putting together this toy barn that he got for the kids, and Olivia's helping them with that. Jim's got CJ and the twins in the den, watching a marathon of Bubble Guppies." 

He nodded, "Not bad," he said. "I know we put them in a bind, taking the kids and the cats, but it's almost over. We'll be home soon." 

"Yeah," Melanie nodded. 

"That doesn't sound like a happy "yeah," to me," Chris said. "What's wrong?" 

Melanie shrugged, "I mean, I'm happy that we're going home," she said. "It'll be nice to go back to some sort of normalcy.. but I'm also worried that we're going to resort back to the issues we came here with." 

"We won't if we work hard and stay committed," he reminded her. 

"It's easier said than done." 

Chris sighed, "Melanie..." he started. "So what you're saying is that this was all for what? Nothing? That because we have to go home now, we shouldn't do what we've talked about?" 

"That's not what I'm saying at all," Melanie insisted, moving her feet off his lap. "I'm just worried is all. Jesus, I can't be worried? How many couples do you think do this kind of.. retreat and promise to change, only to come home and fall back to the same song and dance? To end up filing for divorce six months later?" 

"We aren't those other couples, Melanie!" he exclaimed. "I don't give a shit about hypothetical couples! I give a shit about us! I'm ready to give it my all to make sure that we don't end up coming back here for another retreat or standing in a divorce court, fighting over who get's the kids for Christmas and every other holiday." 

They looked at each other for a moment, before Chris shook his head and stood up. "I can't fucking believe, after everything, that we're back here again," he said, moving towards the back door. "Unbelievable!" 

Melanie sat up, "Where are you going?" she asked, as he pushed the screen door open. "Christopher!" 

"I'm going for a walk!" he snapped. "Before I say or do something that I'll later regret!" 

With that, the door slammed shut behind him, leaving Melanie to sit in silence. Throwing herself down on the couch, Melanie looked up at the ceiling angrily. 

..............

When it started to pour outside, two hours later, Chris was still on his walk. Worried, Melanie paced by the back door, checking every few minutes to see if he was coming up the back steps. She foolishly tried to call him, only to find his phone on the counter, half charged. Cursing, Melanie grabbed a pair of shoes and pulled them onto her feet, before rushing out into the pelting rainstorm. 

"Shit!" she screeched, as the ice cold drops hit her. Instantly, she was soaked from head to toe, rushing down the back steps and towards the lake. The dock was empty, which was both a relief and a worry, as Melanie hoped he didn't fall in. Visions of Chris having a heart attack suddenly and falling into the lake, made Melanie dizzy, as she rushed back onto land and away from the water. 

"CHRIS!" she screamed, running down the shoreline. "CHRIS!" 

When she didn't see him, Melanie began to panic even more, as the tears started. "Shit! Shit!" she spit out, looking around at her surroundings. "CHRISTOPHER!" 

"MEL?" 

Turning quickly, Melanie spotted him a few feet down, walking back towards her and the house. Relieved, Melanie rushed towards him. "Chris!" she cried out, as he stopped, catching her as she threw herself at him. "Oh god, I couldn't find you!" 

Startled at her appearance, it took Chris a moment to realize that she was in fact crying, before he wrapped his arms around her. "I tried to wait out the storm by hiding in a shed," he started, pulling back to look at her. "But the family dog found me and I don't think the owners were thrilled with someone hiding on their property." 

"I thought you'd left," Melanie babbled. "Or that you had a heart attack and drowned in the lake.." 

"Drowned in the lake..." Chris shook his head, as a rumble of thunder sounded overhead. "Oh Mellie..." 

The look on her face said it all; regret, sadness, anxiety, all written on her face. "Let's go back to the house," Chris said, running his hand down the back of her head. "We need to get out of these wet clothes and we should probably talk." 

...............

When they got back to the house, they stripped out of the soaked clothes and rushed to take a hot shower. While Melanie finished drying off, Chris went to put the fireplace to good use, before placing blankets and pillows on the floor in front of it. By the time she came out, there was a tray of hot tea on the coffee table. Settling down in front of the fireplace, they drank their tea and talked; about anything and everything. 

"So we just live everyday and hope for the best?" Melanie asked, afterwards. "That sounds too risky." 

"No, we'll have to do more than just live everyday and hope for the best," Chris said. "We'll have to figure out what to do with work and how it'll fit in with everyday life. When the kids go back to school in the fall and when I have to go back in the fall...." 

Melanie looked at him, "A life without you scares me," she admitted. "I don't want that. I don't want to fight over who gets the kids on holidays and summer breaks. That's not the life I want, Chris. To be divorced and fighting with you over who gets the kids." 

Pulling her to his side, Chris held her as she cried, "We're going to make it work, Mellie," he said, as she sobbed. "Even if we hit a few bumps along the way, we'll make it work." 

After what seemed like ages of Melanie crying, Chris laid her down on the pile of blankets and pillows, before he laid down next to her. By then, the wood in the fireplace was practically nothing but embers, dying by the minute. The storm continued to rage on outside, showing no signs of stopping anytime soon. 

"Let's go home tomorrow," Chris said, running his fingers through Melanie's hair. "Maybe we've been here too long and that's what's making you have these doubts." 

"Are you sure you don't want to stay until Saturday?" Melanie asked, as Chris shook his head. "Because we can, Chris."

He pulled the pillow down and laid his head upon it, "I'm sure," he said, truthfully. "And I don't know about you, but I'm kinda tired looking at the lake. Especially since we couldn't really swim in it, with all the raining that's been going on here." 

For the first time that day, Melanie giggled. "Well, we did move to Washington," she reminded him. "We could've been on the Hampton's right now, had we stayed in New York." 

"Anywhere with you is where I'd want to be," Chris said. "I love you." 

"I love you, too," she said, as he pulled her closer to his side, pressing a kiss to her forehead. 

 

 


	12. Chapter 12

The next morning, they woke up early to pack and clean out the house, before packing up the car and handing in the keys down at the rental office. By two, they were on the road, making the three hour journey back home. They'd decided to keep their sudden return a surprise, not wanting to create any worry from their family, as to why they were cutting their trip short. By the time they reached their hometown, they decided to park the car in front of the house next to Leonard and Jim's. 

"Otherwise, they'll be running out onto the yard," Chris said, as they got out of the car. "I wanna surprise them real good." 

Melanie snorted, "Well, either way, they're going to be surprised." 

Walking up the drive way, hand in hand, they heard the screeching and splashing coming from the backyard. Quietly, Chris opened the gate and pulled Melanie into the backyard, before closing it quietly. 

"Charlie, you better watch the splashing there," Leonard warned, as the girls shrieked in the pool. "Swimmin' is supposed to be fun. Not a blood bath." 

"Uncle Bones!" Charlotte whined. "Sophie wont leave me alone!" 

Rounding the corner, Chris and Melanie watched as Sophia threw handful's of water at her older sister, while Monty and Jim pushed a toy boat back and forth in the shallow end of the pool. On the patio, Olivia stood with her arm floaties on, eating an ice pop quietly. Turning around, she spotted her parents standing at the end of the patio. 

"Whatcha got there?" Chris asked, smiling, as Olivia dropped her ice pop on the ground; her eyes wide and her mouth agape, at the sudden shock of her parents standing before her. 

"DADDY! DADDY!!!" she shrieked, rushing across the patio towards them. "MOMMY!" 

Startled, Leonard, Jim and the kids turned and watched as Olivia launched herself at Chris; while Melanie waved at them, getting a round of shrieks and squeals, as the girls climbed out of the pool. 

"You came home!" Olivia exclaimed, as Chris kissed her cheek. "PIA! CHARWEE! MOMMY AND DADDY CAME HOME!" 

"What in.. what are ya'll doing home so early?" Leonard asked, as he followed Charlotte and Sophia to the patio. "You weren't due to be here until Sunday." 

Melanie shrugged, "We got tired of the lake and wanted to come home," she said, squatting down to give Charlotte and Sophia hugs. "Besides, we wanted our babies back." 

"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" Sophia squealed, hopping up and down. "Look!" 

Opening her mouth, Sophia pointed to the empty space where her teeth once sat. Cradling her face in her hands, Melanie winced and shook her head. "You crazy girl," she said, making Sophia giggle. "God, look at the bruises and scrapes on you. I'm going to put you in a full body suit." 

Charlotte wrapped her arms around Melanie's neck, "Did you miss us, Mommy?" she asked. 

"Of course I missed you guys," Melanie said, kissing her cheek. "Daddy and I couldn't wait another two days, so we decided to pack on up and come home." 

"Thank god," Leonard muttered, as his sister stood up. "But, I'm glad to see you both here. Together that is." 

Chris nodded, "I bet you're also glad to hand over four kids and a army of cats back, huh?" he teased. 

Leonard snorted, "You bet your ass I am," he said. "I don't know how you guys like those little beasts. Can't ya'll get a dog or something?" 

"Elsa bit Uncle Bones," Olivia said, as she held onto Chris. "Right on the butt!" 

"It was so funny!" Charlotte giggled. "Uncle Bones was sleeping on his belly and Elsa jumpeded on his bed and bit him on the butt!" 

Snickering, Melanie gave her brother a pat on the shoulder. "Something you're used to, huh?" she asked, as he scowled. "Where's my son?" 

Leonard nodded to the house, "Nappin' in the den with your furry beasts," he scoffed. "Leah wanted to nap with him, givin' me hell when I tried to take her upstairs. Now Jimmy wants to get a kitten for them." 

"You're so dramatic," Melanie shook her head, as she started for the house. 

"Daddy, are you gonna swim in the pool?" Charlotte asked, as he sat down at the table. 

He shook his head, "Maybe another day?" he offered, as she and Sophia swarmed around him. "Mommy and I are gonna get the cats in their crates and bring them home, along with our suitcases. Then, we'll come back to get you guys." 

Sophia shook her head, "We eats here," she announced. "Tatoe salads and chicken bobs." 

"Ya'll can stay for dinner," Leonard said, as Jim and Monty climbed out of the pool. "Because there's no way the kids are gonna give up barbecue for cereal and peanut butter sandwiches." 

Cuddling against him, Olivia gripped the front of Chris's shirt and wedged her head under his chin. "I missed you," she mumbled, hugging him tightly. 

"I missed you too," Chris said, kissing the side of her head. "Mommy and I just couldn't wait to come home and see you guys." 

"Next time, can you take us on a trip?" Charlotte asked. "We don't want to stay home when you're away." 

Leonard rolled his eyes, "They act like they were treated so poorly here," he said, as Jim and Monty came over to them. "They were treated like queens, these three. Well, Olivia's the only one that didn't complain too much." 

Shaking his head, Chris gave Sophia and Charlotte a look. "Did you guys give your uncles a hard time?" he asked, as they gave him innocent smiles. "Girls..." 

"They weren't too bad," Jim said, giving his husband a look. "They really only started acting up the other day, with back talk and the crying." 

"We just wanted to go home, Daddy," Charlotte shrugged. "Honest! Besides, it was Sophie that was really bad." 

Sophia gasped, "No it wasn't!" she cried, as the elder girl nodded. "You butthead!" 

Stepping between the two, Jim held his arms out and sighed. "How about we head inside and change our clothes?" he suggested. "Daddy and Mommy have to take the kitties home and we still have to bring all the food outside to cook." 

"We're not sleeping over tonight?" Monty asked, as they started for the house. "Liv's not sleeping over?" 

"Viv's got a summer bug," Leonard explained, as Chris carried Olivia. "He sent Monty over here to have a sleepover, but..." 

Chris nodded, "Monty, how about you sleep over at our house?" he asked, as the little boy looked up at him. "How's that sound?" 

He squealed, as did Olivia. "Let's go see what Mommy and CJ are doing," Chris said, as Jim pushed the sliding door open. "Hopefully he's wearing a diaper today." 

.......................

"Are you and Mommy going away again?" Olivia asked later that night, as Chris and Melanie got the kids ready for bed. 

"Not for a long time," he promised, pulling her now-dry hair back into a ponytail. "The next time we go away, we're going to go away as a family. Maybe we'll got to California to see Grandma and Grandpa." 

She nodded, "Can we got to Mickey's house?" she asked, as he carried her out of the bathroom and down the hall to her room. "We wants to see Mickey again." 

He shrugged, "Mommy and I will look into it," he said, as Sophia and Monty ran around the room. "CJ's a bit older now and I'm sure he'd love to go to Mickey's house too.' 

"Daddy! Daddy!" Sophia squealed, as she threw her stuff turtle to the floor, rushing up to him. "Can you reads us a story?" 

"Of course I can read you guys a story," Chris said, in mock outrage. "Let's clean up first and I'll tuck you all in." 

Picking up the discarded toys, the kids moved quickly back and forth to the toy chest, while Chris shook out the blankets and adjusted the air conditioner. Tucking Sophia into her bed, Chris helped Monty into Olivia's, tucking the sheet and comforter up to their chins. Grabbing a picture book off the bookcase, Chris grabbed a chair from the tea party table and set it between the two beds, before sitting down on it. He managed to get through five pages of the book, before the kids started snoring into their toys. Chuckling, he set the book down on the table between the beds and stood up, wincing as his back and knees cracked. 

"That didn't take long," Melanie said from the doorway. "CJ's asleep and Charlie's halfway there." 

"I figured they'd give us a hard time about going to sleep tonight," Chris said, placing the chair back at the table. "I, for one, am not complaining. I just can't wait to face plant myself into bed." 

Melanie snickered, "Go give Charlie a kiss goodnight and I'll meet you in our room," she said, giving him a quick kiss. 

Heading into Charlotte's room, Chris chuckled as the girl laid in her bed, fighting her way through exhaustion. "Daddddyyy," she groaned, as he sat down next to her on the bed. "I don't wanna go to sleep."

"Charlie, it's been a long day," he said, brushing a curl away from her forehead. "Tomorrow, we're going to get some food and we'll play." 

"Can we paint?" she mumbled, blinking furiously to keep herself awake. "I have paints and paper." 

Chris nodded, "We can paint," he promised. "We can do whatever you want, Charlie." 

She yawned, "Are you and Mommy still mad at each other?" she asked. "Is that why you went away together?" 

"Mad?" Chris asked, trying to play it safe with the girl. Charlotte was the first to always catch onto things, questioning her parents when they least expected it. "Mommy and I are okay, Charlie." 

"So, you're gonna stay married together?" Charlotte asked. 

He nodded, "We're gonna stay married together," he said, which made the girl happy. 

"Kay," she yawned again, rolling onto her side with her hands shoved under her pillow. "Sleepy now." 

Kissing her forehead, Chris pulled the blankets up to her shoulders, before reaching over to pet Simba. "Be a good boy," he warned, as the cat lifted his head to meow. "Keep Charlie safe." 

Standing, Chris turned on the nightlight and shut the bedside lamp off, before moving to the door. With his hand on the door knob, he turned and looked back at his daughter, sound asleep with the cat in her bed. Stepping out into the hallway, he pulled the door closed halfway, before checking in on CJ in his room. Re-tucking him into bed, Chris took one quick peek into Sophie and Olivia's room, before heading down the hall into his own room. 

"All asleep?" Melanie asked, as she sat up in bed. 

"Snoring," Chris nodded, as he changed into pajamas. "Cats are scattered everywhere and show no signs of getting up anytime soon." 

She giggled, "Callie's laying in the bathtub," she said, as he climbed into bed next to her. "I don't know where the others are thought." 

"Simba's in Charlie's bed and I think Aurora and Elsa were in CJ's room," he yawned, laying down against the pillows. "God, I'm fucking beat." 

Melanie clicked off the lamp and laid down next to him, pulling the blankets up and over her shoulders. "Me too," she sighed. "Thank god it's summertime and we don't have to worry about getting up early for a single thing." 

Chris hummed in agreement, "Charlie asked if we were still mad at each other," he said. "And if we were going to stay married together." 

"Oh..." Melanie said quietly, as they laid in the dark. "What did you tell her?" 

"That we were okay and that we are staying married together," he said, turning to look over at her. "One day, when she's older, we can tell her if about what happened... if she remembers that is." 

"Oh, she'll remember," Melanie said, yawning. "She remembers just about everything."

He nodded, "I'm glad we came home early," he said, changing the subject. 

"Me too." 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sort chapter, I know. But I took a pain pill before I started writing and managed to fight sleep for the last 2 hours. But now, at 3AM, I can't fight it any longer lol. Hopefully I'll have time to update later today/tomorrow!


	13. Chapter 13

"They're all sacked out in the living room," Chris said, as he shifted the phone against his shoulder. "They didn't even make it ten minutes into the movie." 

Leonard snorted, "The goddamn sun," he muttered. "Leah and Noah barely made it through dinner. Poor Noah face planted into his mashed potatoes and peas, before we threw the towel in and brought them upstairs to get ready for bed." 

It had been the hottest day yet, when the woke up the next morning. Slathering the girls up in sun screen, along with themselves, the sprinkler went on and the kiddie pool had been filled for play. Eventually, the sprinkler was swapped for the nozzle spray, as Chris soaked the kids with icy cold water. By the time dinner rolled around, they got the girls inside and at the table for a feast of mac and cheese, before sending them and CJ upstairs for baths and showers. 

"The girls and Melanie will probably get a good tan," Chris sighed, tossing the damp dish towel into the laundry room. "But poor Olivia and CJ got burnt. So, they'll be miserable tomorrow." 

They talked a while longer, until CJ made his way into the kitchen; dragging his blanket behind him, while sucking furiously on his thumb. "Let me see what he wants," Chris said, as CJ wrapped one arm around his leg. "I also need to dump out the water in the pool, get the kids up in bed and move Mellie off the couch." 

Saying their goodbyes, Chris hung up the phone and bent down to pick CJ up off the floor. "What are you doing up, buddy?" he asked, as the boy yawned. "How about we change your diaper and get ready for bed?" 

"Noooo," he whined, as Chris started out of the kitchen. 

"Yessss," Chris mimicked him, as they went upstairs. "Tomorrow, we can play with your toys. It's bedtime." 

Changing his soiled diaper and tucking him into bed, CJ was out cold again. Turning on the nightlight and adjusting the air conditioner, Chris closed the door halfway and headed back downstairs to finish cleaning up for the evening. The kiddie pool had been emptied and moved into the shed, as Chris went back inside to collect the trash to bring out front. When all the chores were completed, Chris moved quietly and quickly, brining the girls upstairs one at a time; tucking them into their beds and quietly coaxing them back to sleep, when they woke. 

Getting Melanie up proved to be a difficult, for she was in a deep slumber; the sun and running around after the kids was a strenuous task for anyone. Sunburnt and sore, Melanie was the first to pass out before the movie even started. When a few shakes and saying her name from a whisper to nearly yelling it, Chris gave up and lifted her up off the couch. Carrying her up the flight of stairs, after carrying four children back and forth, proved to have taken it's toll on Chris. Dropping Melanie on her side of the bed, Chris quickly rushed back downstairs to lock up and turn all the lights off, before rushing back upstairs for the night. 

Slightly winded, Chris managed to get Melanie under the blankets without waking her, before moving into the bathroom to get ready for bed. Only seven-thirty, the day was officially over for them; the sun being their biggest ally to getting the kids tired out and into bed early. Despite being light out still, Chris eased his tired body under the blankets and was asleep within minutes. 

.....................

The first one up was Olivia, as she made her way downstairs at a quarter to six in the morning, searching for food. Dragging up a bag of barbecue flavored potato chips and a bottle of water, Olivia went into her parents room and climbed up onto their bed; her little feast of food, settled around her, as her parents snored. Opening the bag, Olivia ate as quietly as she could, watching both Chris and Melanie. Not fully awake herself, Olivia sat in a daze as she ate and drank, not really realizing where she was and what time it was as well. 

"Hmm, Olivia?" Chris groaned, waking from the sound of the plastic bag. "What are you doing?" 

"Eating," she replied, shoving a handful of chips into her mouth. "Youeats?" 

Sitting up, Chris looked at the clock on the nightstand and groaned, "Olivia, it's only six-thirty," he said, as she picked up the bottle. "It's too early to be up. And you shouldn't be eating potato chips this early either." 

Olivia burped, as she lowered the bottle, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. Sighing, Chris pushed the blankets up and got up, walking around the bed to the end. "Let's get you cleaned up and we'll go back to bed, okay?" he asked, taking the water bottle from her. "I'll make breakfast a little later, when we're all ready to get up." 

Washing both her hands and her face, Chris carried the girl out of the bathroom and set her down in the middle of the bed. Closing the bag of chips, he set them down on the dresser and moved back to the bed, climbing under the blankets. Olivia laid down and snuggled up against Chris, yawning as the blankets came up to her chin. 

"Are you even fully awake?" he asked, as she laid there between himself and Melanie.

Olivia shrugged, "Oh god," Chris shook his head, leaning down to kiss her cheek. "I think we'll have to put the gate back up. Last thing we need is for you to fall and break your neck." 

The little girl yawned in his face, before rolling onto her belly, going face down in the pillow. Sighing himself, Chris shifted under the blankets and closed his eyes, falling back asleep quickly. 

 

..................

Their day didn't start until after eleven, as everyone woke up slowly and took their time getting out of bed. Cooking scrambled eggs and throwing a few pieces of bread into the toaster, the girls were back in their bathing suits and slathered in sun screen. The kiddie pool had been refilled, only Chris brought it closer to the back steps of the porch, where he sat to supervise them. Melanie sat at the table, the umbrella open and a book in her hands. As the day went on, they switched positions, so that Chris could start cooking an early dinner on the grill. 

"No!" CJ screeched, as Sophia took the toy bucket from him. "NO!!" 

"Sophia Grace! Give your brother that bucket back, right now!" Melanie scolded, as the girl filled it up with water. "SOPHIA!" 

The girl cackled, as she dumped the water onto her brother's head, which brought him to tears. Standing up, Melanie went to the pool and took the bucket from Sophia, before picking CJ up out of the pool. 

"It's alright," she said, as they went to the steps. "Let's take a little break and sit down." 

Wrapping the boy up in a towel, Melanie sat him down on the steps and towel dried him off, setting the toy bucket up and away from him and the girls. "CJ, how about we go inside and get a juice box?" Chris asked, coming over to them. "Then you and I can sit at the table and wait for the food to cook." 

"Daddy, Daddddy," he whined, holding his hands up towards him. 

"Are you sure you don't want me to sit here with him?" Melanie asked, as he picked the boy up. "How are you going to cook and watch him?" 

He nodded, "He'll sit in the chair with his toys," Chris said, as they started for the house. "I've cooked and watch the kids plenty of times, Mel. He'll be fine." 

Later, when they finished eating, Chris and the girls walked around the vegetable garden. "Let's see if these peppers are ready," Melanie heard him say, as she wiped the table down. "Maybe tomorrow, I'll make stuffed peppers for dinner."

"Taco pepper! Taco pepper!" Sophia cried, as she jumped up and down. 

"Daddy, what about the green squash?" Charlotte asked, poking a zucchini. "Can we take them inside?" 

Chris looked at the zucchini and nodded, "Take the ones from the bottom," he said, placing the basket down at her feet. "Sophie, come here and take these peppers. You too, Liv." 

Together, the girls and Chris took the home grown produce and placed them into the basket, before moving to check on the tomatoes and everything else they suckered him into getting and planting. By the time they were done and heading back to the porch, the basket was overflowing; the girls ended up carrying a few peppers and tomatoes in their arms. 

"Mommy! Look!" Olivia exclaimed, nodding to the armful of peppers she held.

"Oh wow!" she gasped coming around to help them. "What are you going to do with all those tomatoes, Liv?" 

She giggled, "Eat them alll!" she nodded, as Melanie took a few from her. "All by myselfs!" 

Chris snorted, "You can have one tomorrow with some cheese," he promised, as they headed inside. "But the rest we're going to use to make sauce and other yummy things." 

"Can you sprinkle some on chickens?" Sophia asked, as Chris set the basket on the kitchen table. 

"Maybe," he nodded, taking the rest of the vegetables form the girls. "Now, let's go brush our teeth and wash our hands. You can watch a movie and have one ice pop, then it's bedtime." 

"CJ's already asleep," Melanie said, as the girls ran off to the upstairs bathroom. "So try to keep it down, please? He was way too cranky after his bath." 

Chris winced, "I take it he's sunburned?" he asked, as she nodded. "Lovely." 

She sighed, "Hopefully he'll feel better tomorrow," she shrugged. "It's supposed to rain anyways, so we'll be inside for most of the day. Unless you wanna take them to the store to get food." 

"Daddddddyyy!" Sophia called out, from the upstairs bathroom. 

"Let me get them changed and washed up," he said. "Before they wake him up and we'll never get him back to bed." 

Melanie nodded, as she went through the basket on the table. "I'll move these so that they don't become soccer balls for the cats," she said. "Take your time, Chris. Maybe they'll tire themselves out and go to bed early again." 

He snorted, "Ice cream has been promised to them, Mellie," he shook his head. "There's no way they're going to give up ice cream tonight, for exhaustion." 


	14. Chapter 14

"How many s'mores do you plan on eating, Sophia?" Chris asked, as the little girl chomped away at the messy treat in her hands. 

"Daddy, Pia's eating all the marshmallows," Olivia pouted, poking at the half-empty bag. "It's not fair! I wanted to make my own s'mores!" 

He sighed, moving to put together the treat for the girl, popping the paper plate into the microwave. "I know, Liv," he said, as the microwaved beeped after ten seconds. "But Mommy left all this stuff on the table and your sister's been eating everything since.." 

In the bathroom, Melanie sat with CJ, as he attempted to use the toilet during their routine potty training session. Only a week after arriving home early, they worked their way back into the parenting routine; carefully avoiding the things that made them fight, the switched their usual routines with one another; Melanie with cooking and Chris with laundry and driving the girls to their play dates. 

"I want more," Sophia whined, as Chris set the plate in front of Olivia. "I want a  _hot_ one!" 

"Sophia, if you eat anymore marshmallows, you're gonna poop out marshmallows for days!" he said, which made Olivia giggle. "Do you want to clog the potty?"

She giggled and nodded, "How about you digest the twelve that you ate and maybe tomorrow, we can make s'mores outside with the fire pit?" Chris suggested. 

"Kay," Sophia nodded, before burping loudly. "More water now." 

He frowned, "What do you say?" he asked, as she shoo her empty princess cup at him. "Sophia." 

" _Puh-wease?"_ she drawled, scrunching up her face with an over the top smile.

Taking the cup, Chris went to re-fill it at the sink, when Melanie carried CJ into the kitchen. "Guess who went pee-pee on the potty?" she grinned, as CJ squealed. 

"No!" Chris gasped, as the boy pointed at him. "CJ went pee-pee on the potty?" 

She nodded, "He also peed a little on the floor, but once we got it under control, it was straight sailing into the porcelain sea!" 

Placing Sophia's cup down in front of her, Chris went and took CJ from Melanie, holding him up above his head. "Is this the beginning of the end for diapers!?" he cried, as CJ shrieked. "Please, please, please let this be the end of diapers! I never want to buy a box of those things again!" 

"Hikaru called me while I was in the bathroom with him," Melanie said, as she went to the table. "He's dropping Charlie off after dinner tonight. They're going out after the movies to eat, so I told him there was no need to rush. It's not like she has school tomorrow or anything." 

"Sounds good," Chris nodded, setting CJ down at the table. "That gives me plenty of time to re-arrange her room and hide all her toys."

Melanie rolled her eyes, while Sophia giggled with glee. "We're gonna break all of her toys!" she squealed, rubbing a chocolate covered hand across her mouth. "I'm gonna take her markers too!" 

"You will do no such thing," Melanie warned, before turning to Chris. "You too. Leave Charlie's room alone, Christopher. It's bad enough that CJ peed on the carpet in there last night." 

He sighed, "No fun," he mumbled, sitting down at the table. 

Olivia shook her head, "Not nice, Daddy," she said. "Not nice." 

"That's right, Liv. Daddy is not being nice," Melanie said, checking the time on the oven. "I'm gonna clean up the bathroom and then I'll run up to the store to get more corn for tomorrow. Is everyone coming?" 

"As far as I was told, yes," Chris said. "If we have extras, we have extras. That means I won't have to cook for a day or two and I'm fine with that." 

Sophia licked her lips, "Can I go with Mommy?" she asked, as Chris grabbed a wet wipe from the lone package on the table.  _"Puh-wease?"_

He snorted, "Go with Mommy and clean up," he said, chucking the dirty wipe down on the paper plate. "And change your shirt. Liv, you wanna go with Mommy too?" 

"No thank you," she shook her head. "I'm going to color in my piggy books. And do my numbers." 

"Let's go, Soph," Melanie said, as she started out of the kitchen. "We have a lot of things to do today, before your sister comes home. If you want Katie to come over, then you need to help me and Daddy clean the house." 

As Melanie and Sophia left, Chris sighed and turned his attention back to Olivia and CJ. "Can CJ and I color with you?" he asked, as Olivia downed the rest of her drink.

She shook her head, "No, you have to make my food," she said, moving off of the chair. "Hot doggies and french fries."

"But..." he started, before Olivia silenced him with a pout. "Alright, I'll make you your hot dogs and french fries." 

Olivia beamed at him, before skipping off to the living room where her collection of coloring books and workbooks awaited for her. Watching her go, Chris wondered how he ever gotten himself wrapped around her little fingers. 

........

Leonard handed the bottle of sparkling water over to Melanie, who took it was a quiet "thanks", before sitting down next to her. 

"So," he started, as the kids played in the kiddie pool. "How's everythin' goin'?" 

"Good," she nodded, taking a sip of her drink. "Kids were driving us insane this morning, wanting to put everything together at the crack of dawn..." 

He nodded, "I meant more along the lines of things between you and Chris," he said. "I mean, ya'll came home early from your vacation.... it got us a bit worried there." 

Melanie nodded, "We're good." 

"Good?" Leonard repeated. "That's it? We're good?" 

"We're not getting divorced, Leonard," Melanie sighed. "And we came home because we missed the kids and we wanted to come home. We didn't come home early for some horrible reason, Len." 

Her brother studied her face, waiting to see her crack under the pressure. But instead, she stared back at him, showing no signs of telling a lie. "Wow," he muttered, shaking his head. "Two weeks ago, you two were on the verge of throwing divorce papers and now you're "good." How the hell?" 

Melanie shrugged, "We just talked," she shrugged. "And we fought, a lot. In between all that, we talked about compromising and finding ways to make things work." 

"DADDDYYYY!!!!!!" 

They both turned their attention back to the pool, finding Chris and Hikaru spraying and dumping buckets of water onto the girls. Charlotte and Julie took off running, while Sophia ran circles around them both, squealing as she was hit with the water. Olivia on the other hand, stepped out of the pool and stood on the opposite side, watching as Sophia ran about. 

"What's wrong, Liv?" Chris asked, as she started to wail. "Oh, baby doll!" 

Chris dropped the hose and moved around the plastic pool, bending down to pick the sopping wet child up. As he soothed her, Melanie sighed and shook her head. "That right there, is the love of my life," she said. "An overgrown child." 

"Bless your heart," Leonard snorted, as Chris carried Olivia up the porch steps to get a towel. "Well, thank christ ya'll aren't gettin' divorced or anythin' crazy. I don't think I could handle being around two miserable people and four miserable kids. I've had enough of my own misery, that to be around anyone else's, would probably make me want to kill myself." 

"You'd kill yourself?" Melanie scoffed. "I couldn't even begin to imagine what our lives would be like, if we got divorced. The idea of having to explain to the kids why we wouldn't be living together and why Daddy lives in a different house and not with all of us." 

Leonard nodded, "Especially with the mouths on those girls," he shook his head. "Charlie knew something was up, when you guys left that morning. You can't hide anything from that girl." 

She sat back against the railing, "She heard us yelling at each other this morning," she sighed. "Came flying down the stairs and into the kitchen, screaming at us to stop." 

"What the hell?" 

"Chris was cleaning the dishes in the sink and I went to grab the extra sponge," Melanie shrugged. "We had a water fight basically. All in good humor, actually. Charlie thought we were fighting, but when she saw us both drippin' with water, she then yelled at us for making a mess of "her kitchen," and told us to stop acting like children. Our nine year old scolded us for havin' fun." 

Leonard snorted, "She's definitely your daughter," he shook his head. 'How was that painting thing ya'll went to on Monday?" 

"It was really good," Melanie said, stretching her legs out in front of her. "Charlie painted a field of wildflowers, which she wants to hang up in the living room. I attempted to paint a sunset over the water, which came out alright. Chris on the other hand, I  _think_ he was going for a starry night sky, but he used a little too much paint and the stars came out like marshmallows..." 

Her brother laughed, "But he had fun!" Melanie followed up with. "He's gonna have Charlie practice with him, so that the next painting comes out a little better." 

"MOMMY! I NEED TO PUT MY COMPUTER ON THE BATTERY FIXER!" Charlotte shouted from behind them. "HELP ME FIND IT!" 

"God-forbid her Sims starve for a day," Melanie muttered, standing up. "Pavel just  _had_ to download that game for her on my I-pad." 

.....................

"So, everything is good with them?" Nyota asked, later that night. "No divorce?" 

Leonard shook his head, "No divorce," he confirmed, as the pastry chef sat back in her seat; sighing in relief. "They're gonna fight regardless, though. But Mellie said they're going to compromise more and work together to accomplish all their work and personal goals." 

On the lawn, the kids ran about, screeching as they were chased by the parents. Melanie laughed, as Hikaru swept up both Julie and Charlotte, a girl under each arm. Then, letting out a shriek, Melanie flailed about as she was picked up from behind, as Chris cried out in victory. 

"I GOT HER!" he shouted, as she laughed. "I GOT HER!" 

"NO! MOMMY!" Olivia cried, as Sophia ran with Monty. "PUT MOMMY DOWN NOW!" 

They watched as the girl rushed forward, ready to tackle Chris at the knees, before Scotty swept her up into his arms. "GOT THE LITTLE LASS!" he bellowed, carrying the screeching child to where Pavel and Hikaru were stationed.

Jim snorted from his seat, "Thank fucking god," he sighed, shaking his head. "As much as I love our nieces and nephew, it'll be nice to have only three kids in the house. The amount of food those girls go through on a daily basis...." 

"Well, the certainly need to eat that much, "Nyota snorted. "They're very active children, Jimmy."

"Ouch, Christopher!" Melanie yelped, as he started up the stairs; her body thrown over his shoulder. "Put me down already!" 

He chuckled, "Never!" he said in triumph, as he grinned at his friends. "Besides, you're the one that wanted cake. So it should be you that brings it all out." 

Disappearing into the house, Leonard groaned as his sister squealed from inside the kitchen, sinking deeper into his seat. "Oh god," he muttered, as Jim and Nyota laughed. "I swear to god, if they're goin' at it in the kitchen, we're leavin'" 

"No we're not!" Jim snorted, nudging him. "Look, it could've been worse. They could be screaming at each other right now and trying to kill one another." 

The sliding door opened and Louisa came out, carrying a sleepy Leah in her arms. "They're in there sucking face," she giggled, carrying the girl over to her parents. "I asked if they needed help with coffee and tea, but I don't think they heard me." 

"Oh god, what if Spock walks in on them?" Jim gasped, in mock horror. "Or even worse! What if Amanda sees them?!" 

Nyota rolled her eyes, "Would you stop?" she asked, shaking her head. "That was one time! And she was a year old!" 

"You two were having sex with your door wide open!" Jim exclaimed. "You didn't even realize she was in the room until you were done!" 

"Shut up, Jim," Leonard shook his head, as Leah yawned. "You act like our kids haven't caught us havin' sex before!" 

At that moment, the girls bounded up the steps and towards the door, talking about the sweets that were awaiting them inside the house. "Why is Mommy touching Daddy's butt?" Charlotte gasped, as she watched her parents. "And they're kissing  _again!"_

Pavel looked into the kitchen and yelped, wedging himself between the sliding door and the kids. "How about you guys sit at the table and Uncle Hikaru and I will get the cake?" he suggested, as the kids looked up at him. 

"I have to poop," Sophia said. "Can I poop in the flowers?" 

"Oh for crying out loud," Hikaru shook his head, moving to push his friend away, sliding the door open. "YO, WHERE'S THE CAKE?" 

Chris and Melanie jumped, turning to look at him, as the girls and Monty spilled into the house. "MOMMY! DADDY!" the shrieked, circling around them like sharks. "CAKE! CAKE!" 

They snorted, as the girls tugged at their clothes, while Charlotte looked up at them with an annoyed frown. "Why are you touching Daddy's butt, Mommy? That's uncivilized." 

"Charlie!" Melanie gasped, as the nine year old continued to frown. "Enough with the attitude!" 

"Charlotte Anne," Chris sighed, shaking his head. "Go wash up for cake." 

Watching her walk away, the couple turned their attention back to one another, while the others moved around them. "Later?" he asked, quietly. "They should all go down for bed easily tonight." 

She nodded, "Hopefully," she sighed, as Olivia stood before them, yanking on Chris's shirt. "I'm gonna put a pot on for coffee and tea." 

"Alright, Olivia," Chris said, as he picked the girl up. "What is it that you want?" 

"Ice cream cones," she said, hugging him around the neck. "Sprinkles and chocolate sauces, too." 

He sighed, turning to head towards the freezer, "Yes, ma'am," he said, opening the freezer to get the carton out. "And only one scoop tonight, Liv. I don't want you up all night running around like a mad woman." 

 


	15. Chapter 15

Chris groaned, as CJ threw his stuffed rabbit off the bed again, before shrieking with glee. "CJ, aren't you  _tired?"_ he groaned, as the boy threw himself down on the bed. "It's almost three in the morning!" 

After seeing their guests to the door, the girls and CJ were sent upstairs for showers and baths, while Melanie put the food away in the refrigerator. Tucking them all into bed, both she and Chris rushed down the hall to their bedroom, ready to go. But before Chris could pull Melanie's underwear off, CJ came barreling into the room with a manic giggle; startling them both, as Melanie moved to cover herself with a blanket, while Chris rushed into the bathroom to deal with a raging hard-on.

Now, four hours later, the boy show no signs of slowing down. "Daddy! Daddy!" he chanted, throwing his body ontop of his.

"Oof!" Chris grunted, as the boy wiggled. "Jesus, CJ. My liver just died."

"He's still awake?" Melanie asked, as she stepped back into the bedroom; Callie nestled in her arms, meowing at the site before them. "What the hell?"

Chris shook his head, "Either he had too much sugar," he started, as CJ giggled. "Or he's just very happy to have us home."

Closing their bedroom door halfway, Melanie made her way around the bed, and sat down. Callie jumped out of her arms and plopped down in the middle of the bed. Taking keen interest in her, CJ crawled off of his father and over to the cat, laying out next to her.

"We can always fool around tomorrow," Melanie whispered, as Callie licked the boy's forehead. "Because by the time he falls asleep, he'll sleep in 'til at least noon, if not later."

"But then we have the girls," he reminded her. "And Charlie wanted to go to the mall tomorrow, so she could get Julie a birthday present." 

Melanie nodded, "So I figured I'd take her up there to pick something out," he continued. "Maybe I'll take Olivia to get some new pajamas, since she only has one pair that fit her." 

"You? Go to the mall?" Melanie asked, surprised. "You  _hate_ the mall." 

"I do," Chris nodded. "But I shouldn't be making you take them to the mall, all the time." 

She giggled, "Take Olivia with you guys," she nodded. "Sophia's going to Katie's tomorrow for the day, anyways. That gives me some time to go through their clothes and put the laundry away." 

Between them, CJ let out a big and wide yawn, as Callie snuggled closer to him. "You might also want to pick up a pack of training underwear for him," Melanie whispered, as CJ began to doze off. "And if Olivia and Charlie see some that they like for themselves, get them a few extra pairs. The way clothes go missing in this house is beyond me. I'll end up finding all the lost pairs of socks and underwear, ten years from now." 

"Well, hopefully they won't ask for  _too_ much," Chris said, as he started up off the bed. "But then again, they're like you when it comes to clothes. So, god help me." 

"You have the things you like to buy, so I have the things I like to buy," she reminded him. "And you never complain when I buy new underwear, if memory serves me right." 

He snorted, as he moved CJ, "Callie, you wanna come with us?" he whispered, as CJ nestled his head against his throat. "Or do you wanna stay with me and Mommy?" 

Callie meowed and jumped off the bed, rushing to the door, only to turn and look at him. "I'll be back," Chris said, shifting CJ against his shoulder. "Come on, let's get you two tucked into bed." 

........................

"I thought you were getting pajamas," Melanie asked, as Olivia held up the neon pink- cat patterned underwear up for her to see. "My god, what did they do to you?" 

Chris groaned, as he laid out on Sophia's bed, "They know how to get their way," he mumbled, as Melanie smiled at Olivia. "All they had to do with look at me and pout, and suddenly I bought half of their fall wardrobe." 

"Mommy, Daddy got me lot's of clothes for school," Olivia said, reaching into the shopping bag. "Look! Piggies and Kitties!" 

The brightly colored, heavily printed garments, made Melanie's eyes burn and her head spin. "Good lord, that's a lot of pigs and kittens," she said, as Olivia giggled. "Well, let's put these away so that they stay nice for school, okay?" 

"Kay!" she nodded, moving to her dresser. "I need to put my big girl pants in here, Mommy." 

Chris pulled the pillow down and under his head, watching as Melanie helped with putting the clothes away. "And those "sales" are not sales," he started. "I think I spent more than what I would normally spend if nothing were on sale there." 

"Well, you bought clothes for two girls and a present for Julie," Melanie reminded him. "Shopping for little girls is much more different than shopping for little boys, Chris. They're at the age in which anything with animals or brightly colored, is deemed suitable for wear." 

"And then I found a really cute, navy blue sweater dress," he continued. "Charlie looked at me as if I were crazy and said the dress would age her.  _Age_ her, Mel. She's going to be ten." 

She snorted, "But Olivia loved it, so I got it for her," he sighed. "It was the only thing that wasn't neon, animal printed or glitterfied." 

"Poor Daddy," Melanie sighed, as Olivia shook her head. "I think Daddy should only go to the mall, once every six months." 

Olivia made her way over to Sophia's bed, climbing up to sit next to Chris. "Daddy, it's alright," she said, patting his forehead gently. "I like my clothes and all the things you picked out for me." 

He wrapped his arm around her waist, "I know you do," he said, as she beamed at him. 

"Thank you for taking me to the mall," she said, hugging him. "Next time, I'll buy you clothes!" 

"I look forward to it," Chris chuckled, as he pulled her close, kissing her cheeks. "Go finish putting your clothes away. Then we can start dinner, before your sister comes home from Katie's house." 

Jumping off the bed, Olivia rushed back over to Melanie, and dug through the shopping bag to take out her new clothes, while Chris got up. "Let me check on Charlie and CJ," he sighed, heading towards the door. "Then I'll head downstairs to turn the oven on." 

"Don't make the food without me, Daddy!" Olivia cried, as she handed over a shirt. "I wanna stir the noodles!" 

"You will," he promised. "But it takes a while for the oven and the water to boil." 

Across the hall, there was a grunt followed by a drawn out "Daddddddddyyyyyyyyy!", which made Chris walk quickly across the hall. "Charlie, what are you doing? You're not supposed to stand on the chair!" 

"I couldn't reach the hangers!" Charlotte whined, as Melanie snickered. "My arms still have to grow more!" 

As Chris listed all the dangers of standing on chairs, Melanie closed the top drawer of Olivia's dresser and picked up the shopping bag. "Let's hang this stuff up in the closet and we'll head downstairs to help your father with dinner," she said, as Olivia followed her. "And I'll make him a grown up drink, which he deserves after today's trip to the mall." 

........................

After dinner, the kids were let loose in the backyard; their parents watching from the back steps, allowing themselves to relax, as the sun began to set on Washington. 

"I think I ate enough pasta to last me a month," Melanie groaned, resting her head back against Chris's chest. 

"You needed to eat," he said, rubbing her shoulders. "The doctor wants you to gain ten pounds before the end of August." 

She mumbled, "Yeah, I probably gained ten pounds alone tonight," she sighed, as Sophia kicked a ball towards the end of the yard. "Sophia, do not kick that ball that far!" 

"Sorry, Mommy!" she yelled, rushing after it. " 'Ivvie c'mere!" 

"Sophie, not everyone wants to play with the ball," Charlotte whined, as she followed them. "Can't we play with the hula hoops?" 

As the girls bickered over what to play with, while CJ played with his own toys near his parents, there was a sense of peace between them all. It wasn't that things were drama-free and that the fighting stopped, after being away for two weeks. Only an hour earlier, they bickered over how the cheese was being grated and how Chris was getting sauce all over the stovetop. 

" _Another thing I'll have to clean tonight!"_ Melanie whined, as she dumped the pot of pasta into a serving bowl. 

By the time they sat down at the table, the argument was behind them and they were laughing along with the kids; eating lumpy-cheese covered noodles, and talking about what movie they were going to watch later that night. Afterwards, Olivia and Sophia helped Chris with the dishes, while Melanie packed away the extra food and wiped the table down. 

"Tomorrow, I'll come out and put the sprinkler on for them," Chris said, as Sophia ran after Charlotte. "Tire them out, while I clean up the garden." 

"Sounds good, Martha," she teased, squealing as he tickled her. "I have a little bit of paper work that needs to be finished anyways. Shouldn't take no more than an hour." 

Chris nodded, "If you need more time, take it," he said. "The kids will be fine outside in the water, Mellie." 

'Geoff asked me if I wanted to go next weekend to a meeting out of state," Melanie said, waiting for Chris to jump. 

"Yeah?" he asked, sounding surprisingly calm. "What did you tell him?" 

She shifted against him. "Told him no," she shrugged. "It's in Arkansas anyways. I've been there once and once was enough." 

He snorted, "So, we should do something fun next weekend," he said. "Maybe head down to the marina with the kids. Or send them off for sleepovers and have the house to ourselves, that way we can run around this place without having to worry about being stopped by the kids for something." 

"Or we can clean out the garage," Melanie shrugged. "You know, get rid of thirteen years of shit that's been boxed up since we moved into this house." 

"We could...." he sighed. "Or, you can let me have my way with you. We can always clean out the garage, the following weekend." 

He chuckled, dropping a kiss on the side of her head, before wrapping his arms around her. "We can clean the garage," he gave in. "I know you've been dying to throw everything out, after the girls were born." 

"Not  _everything,"_ Melanie corrected him. "Just... half of what's in there." 

They watched the girls run about a bit longer, with periods of silence broken with stern warnings and redirection. "We should head in soon," Chris said, looking down at his watch. "Give them all baths and put them in front of the television for a movie."

"Then bed," Melanie said, resting her head back against his shoulder. "I just want to lay in bed and maybe read a book. Or we can watch a movie once they're all in bed and asleep." 

As she sat with her head back against his shoulder, Chris looked down at the sun-kissed and exhausted face of his wife. Having been home for almost a week and a half, she was looking much more healthier; between the constant flow of snacking with the kids, to the barbecue's they were going to, she face filled out a bit more. The cold spells became minimal, only coming when she was overtired or when she didn't have enough to eat. And while she wasn't out of the neck of the woods, their doctor listing her condition as serious, the small improvements were a relief to see.

"Let's get them inside," Chris said, patting the side of her leg. "You need to lay down and relax for a little while, before they get the chance to go crazy."

"What about baths?" Melanie asked, opening her eyes to look a him. "You're going to bathe all four of them by yourself?"

"The girls can all shower together," he shrugged. "I can bathe CJ after I get them all dressed and settled with their movie."

Melanie nodded, "If that's what you want to do," she said, as the girls shrieked at one another. "Break the news to them. They never listen to me when I tell them it's time to come in."

Standing, Chris helped her up and moved down the steps. "Girls!" he called out. "Time to go in!"

"AWWWW!" they groaned in unison. 

Dropping their toys, they rushed across the lawn and headed up the steps, where Melanie opened the screen door to let them inside. Grabbing CJ up off the ground, Chris carried him up the steps.

"Look at you," Chris shook his head. "Sunburn."

"I'll give him some motrin if he get's fussy," Melanie said, as they stepped into the house." But at least he'll go to bed tonight."

With the girls upstairs shouting at one another and a cranky toddler in his arms, Chris looked at the woman before him; tired and slightly sweaty from the heat, she was everything that he'd always wanted and needed. Wrapping his arm around her, Chris pulled her in for a kiss; to which she melted into, wrapping her own arms around him. The whimper from CJ, a few seconds later, broke them apart. 

"I love you," Chris said, as she lightly squeezed CJ's bare foot. 

She smiled up at him, "I love you, too," she said back, stealing another kiss from him. "Always." 

And there, within their little world of chaos, they knew that they would be alright. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY!
> 
> I never thought I'd get this finished. 
> 
> One shots will follow and will take place throughout this entire series. Different age points of the kids and even before the kids were born. 
> 
> Still working on an idea for another large story to take place after this moment in their lives.


End file.
